


A Time for Dragons: Ice

by Sleepy_moon29



Series: A Time for Dragons [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babies, Battle, Dragon Riders, Dragonlord Jon Snow, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Jonerys AU Fest, Wargs, Wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-06-25 09:35:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 90,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15638046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepy_moon29/pseuds/Sleepy_moon29
Summary: Winter has come to Westeros as the new Targaryen monarchs settle into their reign. A series of worrying ravens from the Night's watch draw their attention North, whilst old enemies rear their headsA tale of magic, love, horror and sacrifice.





	1. A New Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a sequel to my previous fic, which you can find with one of the link things...
> 
> For those who read the first one, welcome back, I hope you enjoy this story....
> 
> For those of you that haven't read the first one, I recommend that you do, I think it's pretty good. Although, you don't have to read that one to understand this one, but I will warn you, there are some pretty heavy spoilers early on in this story that will ruin some of the surprises in the last one.
> 
> This fic will contain some ideas and concepts about the White Walkers that we probably won't see in the show. Heck, I'll be honest, I don't believe we'll see half of these concepts in the books, but this is fan fiction so I can make stuff up. This isn't going to be a 'my version of season 8' style story, although if anyone wants to know what I think will happen, the comments are the place to go...
> 
> I'm gonna stop talking and actually give you guys the story now 
> 
> Super thanks to GOT88 who is helping with this sequel. 
> 
> Here is chapter 1...enjoy

**‘** **“Sam the Slayer!” he said, by way of greeting. “Are you sure you stabbed an Other, and not** **_some child’s snow_ ** **knight?” - Sam V ASOS**

* * *

 

**The Winged Wolf**

 

A pale sun rose and set and rose again. Red leaves fluttered and whispered in the wind as dark clouds filled the skies and turned to storms. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as dead men with black hands and bright blue eyes shuffled around the cleft in the hillside that they were unable to enter.

 

Under the hill, Brandon Stark was seated upon a weirwood throne, listening to whispers in the dark. He did not know for how long he had been inside the cave, all he knew was that he was there to _learn_.

 

He learned from the Singers, the Children of the Forest as Old Nan would have called them. They spoke the true tongue, a tongue that no man could speak. Bran and Meera made up names for them. Ash, Leaf and Scales. Blackknife, Snowlocks and Coals. Only Leaf could speak the common tongue, and she did her best to help him.

 

He also learned from Brynden, who had lived so long beyond his mortal span that most of him was now part of the tree. Leaf says he has a thousand eyes and one, for there is much to watch.

 

The trees knew the secrets of the Old Gods, Jojen had told them before he passed. Secrets that had long been forgotten by man. Secrets they would need to remember before it was too late.

 

Beneath the hill, Summer prowled, Meera fretted, whilst Hodor wandered the dark caves with nothing but a sword and a torch. Bran had been tempted to follow but he had been afraid of the darkness.

 

“Never fear the darkness,” Lord Brynden called out, his voice thin and ghastly and difficult to hear. Still, Bran turned his head towards him to hang onto every word. “The strongest trees are rooted in the darkest places on earth. Darkness will be your cloak and your shield. The world is heading into its darkest hour, and the world needs you to guide them out of it,”

“How?” Bran asked. “I’m just a boy,”

 

“No Brandon. Only one man in a thousand is born a skinchanger and only one skinchanger in a thousand can become a greenseer. You, Brandon are _special_ ,” Brynden whispered and Bran swallowed nervously before he nodded in acceptance.

 

“How will I do it?” Bran asked nervously.

 

“I will show you what you need to know,” Lord Brynden said as he looked towards the weirwood branch.

 

Bran looked at him before he reached out to grasp the weirwood branch next to him. His eyes rolled back in his head as the dark cave receded around him and they left the cave behind.

 

Bran flew over the lands and seemingly through time as Lord Brynden took him to the site of his first lesson.

 

They stopped in the middle of an open field, there were no roads, no castles or no signs of man around him. All he saw was trees.

 

After a few moments, he noticed the Children of the Forest appear from the trees. He saw familiar faces, even Leaf

 

“Do you know where we are Brandon?” Brynden asked and Bran shook his head. “This is Winterfell, thousands of years ago,”

 

“This is the Dawn Age,” Bran said quietly as he remembered Old Nan’s stories.

 

“Yes Bran, this is the Dawn Age, before the First Men’s arrival in Westeros. The Children lived peacefully, and at one with the land,” Brynden confirmed to him as they walked through the fields.

 

“Then everything changed when the First Men arrived from Essos. They came with weapons made from bronze, shields and their own gods. The Children tried to use hammer of the waters, to shatter the land bridge that connected the Eastern continent with Westeros to stop the invasion. This was how the islands now known as the Stepstones were created,”

 

“Why did they want to stop the First Men?”

 

“As the First Men settled on this new continent, they chopped down the weirwood trees that were sacred to the Children to create space. This angered the Children and this is why the war began,” Lord Brynden told him as they walked through the forest. “The First Men were bigger, stronger and they had the advantage in weapons, so the Children had to use their magic to fight back,”

 

“Their magic? Like the Hammer of the waters?” Bran asked

 

“Yes. Like the Hammer of the waters. The Children used it in the area now known as Moat Cailin to break Westeros in two. However, the Children failed and they only created bogs and swamps which still plague the area to this day,” Brynden said as they approached a clearing.

 

Bran saw a ring of shiny black obsidian rocks encircling a heart tree. The rocks were unlike any that he had ever seen before, Bran was not sure they were even from this earth, perhaps they were created from magic. He took a step forward but he was pulled back by a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, the vision started to blur as they started to return to the present.

 

“No. Not today Bran. It is time for us to go back,”

 

“Why?”

 

“One step at a time Brandon. We have time on our side,” Lord Brynden said as they returned to the cave.

 

“Why did you show me that?” Bran asked as he looked up at his teacher.

 

“Brandon, in order to end this conflict, you need to know how and why it started, what you saw today, is only one piece of the puzzle. There will be more, in time,”

 

Bran nodded and let go of the tree branch, he was excited to begin his journey, but there was something that he saw that scared him. He had seen a battle below a tree, a tree that looked all too familiar to him.

 

The hill had almost been ablaze with fire, before the darkness of death came to swallow it whole.

 

**The Queen of Westeros**

 

A few weak rays of winter sunshine were slowly making their way into the royal apartments deep inside of Maegor’s holdfast. Daenerys laid in bed with her husband, she was breathing heavily as she was resting against his sweaty chest.

 

They had woken up early again for another round of passionate lovemaking. Jon was still as loving and as thorough as ever and she was sure that she had woken up half of the Red Keep with her screams of pleasure.

 

However, there was one person in particular who had been woken up and Dany quickly went over to attend to her. She pushed the silk sheets of her body before slipping into her purple robe and slippers and out towards the nursery.

 

She found Lyanna crying in her crib and Dany immediately picked her up and held her close to her chest.

 

“Shhhh… Princess. Mama is here,” Dany whispered and Lyanna quickly fell silent at the sound of her mother’s voice. Lyanna was only around 6 months old but Dany was sure that she screamed louder than Daeron ever had.

 

Dany carried her back to the main bedroom and slipped into the bed and into Jon’s side. Once she was settled, she slid off her robe and offered her breast which Lyanna quickly latched onto.

 

“She is so beautiful,” Jon commented as he gently stroked her face. Lyanna had little tufts of raven hair like her father but she had Dany’s lilac eyes, her eyes were of a similar shade to Rhaegar's. She also had lovely fat cheeks that Dany absolutely loved.

 

She heard a knock on their door and Jon quickly stood up to go and answer it, Dany had a suspicion on who their morning visitor was.

 

Jon spoke to the guard on their door before stepping aside to let Daeron in. Their eldest walked quickly into the room, clutching his golden dragon egg, and pulled himself up onto the bed.

 

“Good morning, Sweetling,” Dany said as she shifted in the bed to make space on the bed for Daeron to crawl into. Lyanna was on her right arm whilst Jon and Daeron were cuddled onto her left and Dany let out a content sigh.

 

“Papa,” Daeron said in a sleepy voice.

 

“Yes Daeron,”

 

“Going on trip?” Daeron asked and Jon nodded. Jon would be heading North to sort out an issue with the Nights Watch. They had received several ravens over the past few months and Jon had decided enough was enough, he had to go North to deal with it himself.

 

Dany understood his decision, but she would miss him terribly whilst he was gone. It was not the first time they had left the city for diplomatic reasons. Once Jon had headed to the Iron Islands whilst on another occasion, Dany had headed to the Stormlands, it was just a part of ruling that they had learned to deal with.

 

“Papa stay,” Daeron said as he crawled over to him and wrapped his arms around his neck. Dany was curious, Daeron had never acted like this when they told him they were going on trips. Perhaps, he was just growing older and understanding things more now.

 

“I’ll be fine, Daeron,” Jon said reassuringly as he gave him a kiss.

 

“Be brave?” Daeron asked and Jon smiled

 

“Yes, I’ll be brave,” Jon answered and this seemed to please Daeron. At that moment, Lyanna finished feeding and she started to make some noises to get their attention. Dany let her go and laid her by the stomach on the bed

 

“Good morning Princess,” Jon said as he held out his arms for Lyanna. Dany knew that she could manage a little crawling, but whenever Jon was around she would always hold her arms out to be carried. She may only be a few months old, but she already knew that her father loves to spoil her.

 

Surprisingly, Lyanna didn’t move towards Jon, instead she moved towards her brother’s egg.

 

“No! My egg!” Daeron protested as he sprung forward to grab it. Daeron would share his toys, but he was very protective over his egg. He wouldn’t sleep without it. Jon quickly picked up Lya whilst Dany scooped up Daeron.

 

“I left her egg in the crib,” Dany said softly as she calmed Daeron. Lyanna had been given her own egg. They had guessed that she preferred the pale evergreen blue egg, it seemed to calm her and the little girl was fascinated by it in return.

 

“My egg,” Daeron repeated and Dany nodded.

 

“Yes, Sweetling. We know it’s your egg. Mama didn’t forget,”

 

“Mama. What she doing?” Daeron asked after a few moments. Dany turned and saw Lyanna playing with Jon. She was pulling at his beard and giggling as she did it. Dany smiled, Lyanna had a truly infections laugh.

 

“Playing,” Dany replied as she hid a smile.

 

“Can I play?” Daeron asked and Dany nodded.

 

“Of course, little one. Perhaps, you should climb on his head and pull his hair?” Dany teased and she saw Daeron’s eyes light up with mischief as he crawled over to complete his task.

 

Dany laughed as Lyanna played with his beard and Daeron played with his hair as Jon released a few loud over exaggerated shouts of pain.

 

“I bet that you’re loving this,” Jon muttered as he handed over Lyanna. Dany nodded, took Lyanna and laughed as he picked up Daeron and began to mercilessly tickle him.

 

Daerons happy screams and giggles soon filled the room until Jon stopped and turned to look at his family

 

“Come on. Time for baths and for breakfast,”

 

* * *

 

 

Over the past few months, Dany had learned that little children loved bath time. A private bathhouse had been installed inside of Maegor’s holdfast and it contained a range of pools for the children to splash about in. Daeron had learned not to splash water at his mother but little Lyanna held nothing back. Despite being bathed in a smaller tub, she seemed to make it her mission to splash as much water as she could. By the time she was finished, Dany was soaked.

 

Jon and Dany had developed a system for mornings like these. They would bathe the children together first, dress them and Jon would watch them whilst Dany bathed. Then once she was finished, she would dress with the help of her handmaidens, who would also help watching the children.

 

Once they were all clean, they headed towards the small hall inside Maegor’s holdfast where they usually ate their breakfast. Only members of the royal family were permitted inside of the innermost castle. However, exceptions had been made for Sansa or Arya, who usually helped with the children.

 

Dany had a bowl of porridge for breakfast whilst Jon helped himself to bacon and sausages. Daeron was old enough to have proper food and so Dany had given him a small plate of bread and sausages. Dany held Lyanna and gave her tiny amounts of porridge every now and again to keep her occupied, she kept a watchful eye on her as Dany knew Lyanna loved to reach for the spoon. Ghost trotted into the room and settled himself on the floor near Daeron.

 

“Morning father,” Jon said cheerfully as Rhaegar slowly walked into the room. Lyanna perked up excitedly at the sight of her grandfather.

 

“Good morning everyone,” Rhaegar said. He ruffled Daeron’s hair, gave Lyanna a quick kiss before heading over to the table that held the food. “Ready for your trip?” he asked as he took a seat opposite Dany and next to Daeron.

 

“Aye. I should leave around midday that should give us enough time to fly North and land in Winterfell before it gets dark. I believe Ser Loras and Ser Jorah are preparing,”

 

A few months into their reign, they had decided to raise Ser Jorah Mormont to Kingsguard, he would never inherit Bear Island and so they had given him a white cloak. However, he was not the newest member of the Kingsguard, that honour went to Brienne of Tarth. A young lady who Dany had personally chosen for the task

 

Her appointment was a controversial one, but Brienne had proven her worth in battle on the Stepstones. A band of Essosi pirates had landed on the Stepstones and they had claimed the island as their own, perhaps they had thought that they could take advantage of a Targaryen monarchy in its infancy.

 

Either way, Jon and Dany had quickly flown out with their dragons and joined up with a small force from the Stormlands to meet with the pirates. Their little uprising lasted no longer than a fortnight.

 

Brienne had distinguished herself in that conflict, and Dany had been happy to grant her wish and appoint her to their guard.

 

The addition of Jorah and Brienne brought the size of their guard to five. Loras and Jorah would head North with Jon, whilst Brienne, Jaime and Barristan would remain in the south.

 

“Good. Taking Jorah was a wise decision,” Rhaegar commented. “He knows the North better than the other knights in the order,”

 

“Mama, I finish,” Daeron said from his seat. Dany took a look at his clean plate and looked at him suspiciously

 

“Daeron, did you feed Ghost?” she asked and her son smiled before shaking his head.

 

“No mama,” he lied. Dany continued to give him a stern look before he blushed nodded. “Yes mama,”

 

“Daeron, Sweetling, you can’t feed Ghost your breakfast. You need to eat so you get big and strong,”  

 

“But he hungry!” Daeron protested

 

“Ghost will eat later, Sweetling, but it’s important that you eat all your breakfast,”

 

“Yes mama,” Daeron said sadly. “Can I play?”

 

“Not now little one, in a little while you can play with Aunty Arya,” Jon told him and Daeron smiled. Arya still remained Daeron’s favourite Aunt. Dany would leave them in the mornings and by the end of the day he was dirty after spending his entire day exploring the castle and getting into mischief. Dany had been upset at first but Jon told him that he was a boy and these things would happen

 

“What do you think is happening with the Watch?” Dany asked Rhaegar as she fed Lyanna a little bit of porridge. However, it seemed that Lyanna had finished eating and wanted to crawl. So Dany gently put her on the floor and watched her out of the corner of her eye as she slowly crawled around.

 

“Judging from the reports that Grand Maester Marwyn has sent, it seems that the problems with the Watch run deeper than being underfed and undermanned. I think that Jon is in the right to go and investigate it for himself,”

 

Dany nodded slowly, before taking another spoonful of porridge. Lyanna had crawled over to Jon by now and he scooped her up.

 

“I will take some more supplies from Winterfell. Robb will most likely accompany me to the Wall?”

 

“Really? Isn’t his wife pregnant?” Rhaegar asked

 

“She is, but she won’t deliver for another few months,” Dany quickly replied. “Then Daeron and Lyanna will have some cousins that they can play with,”

 

“We shouldn’t be long either way. No more than a month,” Jon continued as he took another bite of his breakfast. “I should be home before the worst of the winter hits,”

 

Winter had hit Westeros and even gotten as far South as Kings Landing. The city had been subjected to regular light snowfalls and there was a chilly breeze that always swept in from the Blackwater. The roads were starting to get worse and worse, meaning the best way to travel was to either fly or sail.

 

“I still think you should take more men with you,” Dany commented. “Especially if these reports about the ‘King beyond the Wall’ are true,”

“The Dothraki and the Unsullied are not used to these conditions, not to mention taking them will slow me down. Sailing to White Harbour would take at least a fortnight, and that doesn’t include the time it would take to mobilize them,”

 

Dany pursed her lips at this. They had been using groups of their Unsullied to help bolster the City Watch during the rebuilding phase. A portion of their Dothraki were camped outside of the city in the plains that were once used as the tourney grounds. However, the vast majority of their forces had been located on Dragonstone, along with the majority of their fleet.

 

“Perhaps, it would be best to send an order to Dragonstone to have ships prepared to sail North. Just in case you need more men, they can sail away at a moment’s notice,” Dany offered and Jon nodded in agreement.

 

“I think we should get going,” Rhaegar said after a moment. “The small council should be waiting,”

 

Dany took a last spoonful of porridge before standing up. They would have one last small council meeting before Jon headed North, to see if there were any pressing matters that needed his attention.

 

Jon carried Lyanna whilst Dany walked in front, side by side with Rhaegar

 

“Good morning Brienne,” Dany said politely as they entered the corridor. Brienne stood on guard in her gleaming white armour. Bright blue sapphires had been encrusted into her armour and into the hilt of her sword. Like every knight in their guard, she had been entrusted with a Valyrian steel blade.

 

“Good morning my Queen. My King. My Prince,” Brienne said with a bow. Dany smiled and gently poked Daeron in the back.

 

“Daeron sweetling, remember your manners,”

 

“Good morning Brienne,” Daeron said politely which caused her to blush.

 

“Good morning Prince Daeron, how are you today?”

 

“Good,” her son replied with a smile. They headed towards the children’s nursery where they spent the majority of their days. Ser Jaime was waiting at the door and it seemed that he had the task of guarding the children this morning. Daeron quickly ran off towards his favourite blocks and Jon handed Lyanna to Missandei. Missandei cooed and Lyanna giggled playfully

 

“We will be back shortly,” Dany promised before she left and headed towards the small council chamber.

 

The small council meetings were held in the Tower of the Hand, which were a short walk away from Maegor’s holdfast. During their short reign, the small council meetings had varied in length from a few minutes, to several hours. Today’s meeting was one of the longer ones.

 

Tyrion, was as thorough as ever. In that morning, he set out to cover every aspect of the realm that he could. The stores in the city were good and they could survive several years of winter by his reckoning. Lord Paxter Redwyne, their Master of Ships, had reported that trade ships from Braavos had been coming less frequently on account of the rougher winter seas. They still received regular shipments of grain from Pentos but ships from Volantis also seemed to be less frequent.  
  
Lord Redwyne had guessed that there were likely several storms in the Summer Sea that had caused several ships to seek safer waters.

 

Lord Mace Tyrell, the Master of Coin, reported that the crown was in a good state financially. Despite having to spend their gold to rebuild the city, the taxes they collected from the cities in their empire to the east meant that the Iron Bank was content. Lord Tyrell had also wanted to raise taxes to their usual rate to provide a greater source of income during the winter and help purchase more food but Dany had rejected that idea. The people needed their gold to buy wood and food for themselves during the Winter.

 

House Darry, their new Lord paramount of the Riverlands, had sent in their taxes early, but apart from that, the realm was in a good state. Shireen Baratheon and Ser Davos were in the Stormlands, although Rhaegar had said that the former smuggler would be arriving in Kings Landing in the next few days.

 

They had kept Renly Baratheon in the city after the war was won. However, he had been a great help in rallying the Stormlords to their cause in the brief war on the Stepstones. For that, they had allowed him to return to Storms End for the Winter. Shireen would still rule the castle as Lady of Storms End. The young girl had done a fantastic job so far.

 

Dany had grown to understand that the Storm Lords were fiercely loyal to the Baratheon name above all else and this meant that Shireen had been a great appointment.

 

However, things were not going as well in the West. The Iron Islands had been subdued. She, Jon and Rhaegar had flown out on their dragons to remove Balon Greyjoy from power and to appoint Asha in his place. Some of the Ironborn had been less than pleased with this choice, but Anogar had provided a quick demonstration of their power when he burned their flagship in front of their eyes.

 

Dany had not seen Asha since that day and she wondered how she was faring. She would have to send her a raven.

 

Things in the Westerlands were also difficult. Tyrion had been named Warden of the West, but this was somewhat of an empty title seeing as he had not returned to the Westerlands since the day his sister died. After a few months in mourning, Jaime too had returned to Kings Landing, meaning that the Westerlands were currently held by Tommen and Myrcella. However, unlike with Shireen, they did not have a ‘father figure’ they could appoint to watch over them. The only thing keeping the Westerlands in line was apparently the threat of their dragons.

 

At a loss for what to do, they had instructed Asha to watch over the Westerlands as well. She was to have a fleet ready to sail towards Lannisport in case any trouble arose. Dany however knew that this was only a temporary measure. If the lords of the West found out that the Iron Born held this much power over them, then they would be furious.

 

Dany sighed in frustration, come Spring, they would have to sort out the Westerlands properly.

 

Dorne had not been a problem. With the help of Arianne Martell, relations with Sunspear had improved. Prince Doran had come to the city to swear fealty to the crown and there had been no reports of trouble. The Dornish regularly paid their taxes and with Arianne’s help, slowly became more integrated with the rest of the realm. The sale of Dornish wine had increased both in Westeros and in Essos and this was due to Arianne’s work.

 

Dany had started to trust the Dornish woman more. She lunched with her at least once a week, and in the last month, she had even allowed her to meet Daeron properly. Dany allowed her more privileges in the castle, even though she was still not allowed to leave the city when she pleased.

 

Finally, the small council meeting was at its end. Once they were finished, they headed back towards the nursery. Sansa and Arya had arrived. Arya was chasing Daeron around the room and Lyanna was settled in Sansa’s lap as she spoke with Missandei and Irri.

 

“Come on everyone, time to get ready to go,” Dany said lightly as she entered. Daeron breathlessly ran over to her whilst Sansa stood up and helped to dress Lyanna

 

After dressing Daeron and Lyanna, they headed off towards the Dragonpit inside of a carriage. Jon held Lyanna whilst Daeron sat opposite Dany. Rhaegar rode outside with Ser Barristan and Ghost. Winter meant that even Kings Landing received snowfalls although It was nowhere near as heavy as the snow in the North. Thankfully, it had not snowed today and this meant that the journey to the Dragonpit was quick

 

The Dragonpit sat atop Rhaenys’s hill and it still lay mostly in ruin. Both she and Jon had failed to see the need in prioritizing this rebuild, they had other projects to focus on. However, it was still able to serve its purpose as a place for the dragons to land whenever they were needed in Kings Landing.

 

“Mama, where dragon?” Daeron asked as they entered the pit. She carefully held onto his hand and she could tell he was brimming with excitement to see the dragons again.

 

After his second nameday, Dany had finally allowed him to go and see the dragons on Dragonstone. Daeron had not even been afraid of Anogar, who had grown to be slightly larger than his siblings. Dany vividly remembered him look at the dragon curiously, before slowly walking over and trying to wrap his arms around his massive snout.

 

Dany had laughed as Anogar had huffed before letting out a content purr, even the fiercest of the dragons turned soft for little Daeron. Daeron himself had shown no affinity for a specific dragon, he was still focused on his golden egg. Dany had learned very early on not to take away his egg. He refused to sleep without it and Dany was curious as to why. She thought that it was something that children do, but a part of her wondered if he too was forming a connection with his egg.

 

Still, she could hardly ask him. The Maesters were impressed with his growth, he was walking and talking much sooner than they expected from children of his age, but even Daeron couldn’t speak in proper sentences yet.

 

“Vedros will be here soon, Sweetling,” she said reassuringly as she squeezed his gloved hand. “Vedros is the green dragon,” she added as she saw his confused face. On cue, Dany heard a loud screech before Vedros swooped low over the city. She had made her approach from the North and Dany could see bits of white snow that had settled on the tips of her green wings. The magnificent green dragon had continued to grow in size, she had not grown as much as Anogar, but she was still fearsome.

 

Vedros landed gently in the middle of the Dragonpit and Daeron shot off before she could catch him. Dany quickly followed and so she was there when Vedros gently knocked Daeron over with a bump of her snout. Daeron laughed and picked himself up before Jon put a hand on his shoulder to hold him back.

 

“That’s enough Daeron,” he said gently. Ser Jorah and Ser Loras then stepped forward and climbed up onto Vedros’s back to get ready for their flight North. Then Jon turned to her,

 

“I’ll miss you,” he said gently as he gave her a kiss. His lips were warm and soft and Dany would miss his kisses.

 

“I’ll miss you too my love,” Dany said. “Remember the letters I gave you,”

 

Jon smiled, “I like how you’ve added letter delivery as one of my duties as King,”

 

Dany smirked. “It’s important, I miss Marge and ravens can be unreliable,”

 

Jon nodded before he turned to Daeron

 

“And I’ll miss you,” he said as he crouched down to place a kiss on Daeron’s forehead. “Daeron, when I’m gone remember to listen to your mother and Sansa and Arya. Remember to be brave and to be good all right?”

 

“Yes papa” Daeron said as nodded slowly and Jon ruffled his hair.

 

“Take care Jon,” Rhaegar said as he took Lyanna from him. “And give our best wishes to Maester Aemon when you see him, and take his council, he’s a wise man,”

 

“I will father,” Jon replied. He gave Dany and Lyanna one last kiss before he turned and climbed onto Vedros’s wing and settled in place on her back. He waved and then Vedros took off gracefully into the grey afternoon sky. Dany held Daeron and they waved until they were nothing more than a speck in the sky

 

“Come on Daeron, time for lunch,” Dany said as they returned to the carriage and headed back to the castle itself

  


**The King of Westeros**

 

Vedros followed the Kings Road for the flight North, and the further North they flew, the more obvious the effects of winter appeared. Snow had settled on the banks of the Gods Eye and Jon could see the trees on the isle of faces were covered in snow. Once they moved past the twins, the Green fork had turned to ice and a thick blanket of snow had covered everything North of Moat Cailin.

 

Despite leaving at midday, it had started to get dark by the time they reached Winterfell. Vedros roared loudly once she was overhead before she landed gently in front of the main gates. Ghost and Ser Jorah shot off the back of Vedros as soon as they were on the ground, Ghost bounded straight off into the Wolfswood, likely to hunt.

 

**“** First time flyer?” Jon joked as Ser Jorah vomited in the bushes. Ser Loras landed gracefully on his feet next to him, clearly feeling no ill effects. Jon stretched a little as did Loras.

 

“Don’t worry Ser Jorah. I’m sure you’ll get used to it eventually,” Loras kindly added. Then Jon remembered that Loras had flown with them before when they flew to the Iron Islands.

 

Jorah finally straightened himself.

 

“Apologies your grace,” he said

 

“Its fine Jorah, now let’s head inside. It’s cold,” Jon replied. The walk into the castle was short, but once they left the protection that Vedros provided from the wind, they were left exposed to the chill.

 

They wrapped their cloaks tightly around them before trudging up the path that had been cleared and into the open gates. A small amount of people had come out to welcome them but it seemed everyone else was busy. Jon didn’t mind that, it was too cold to stand out there unnecessarily. He looked up and saw that they were still rebuilding the first keep, even in the winter. Robb had told him that he and Margery would be living there along with their children.

 

He saw the granaries and the rookery as well as the small sept. He saw the entrance to the crypts over to one side. He would visit the crypts to see his mother before he left the following morning.

 

As he looked in that direction, he noticed something. Jon was not sure but the crypts seemed different. They seemed more ominous and foreboding, almost as if the dead grew fiercer in the winter.

 

Jon shook his head and he saw Robb step forward to meet him. He quickly gave his brother a hug before heading inside. Robb led them to a small chamber just to the side of the Great hall.

 

“It’s nice to see you brother,” Jon said with a wide smile once they were inside

 

“Aye. Thanks for coming,” Robb replied and Jon took a look around the room. He saw Lord Stark, Lady Catelyn and Lady Margaery who looked radiant. He quickly went over to her and gave her a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek.

 

“Margaery, it’s nice to see you. I hope Robb has been treating you well?” he joked and Margaery smiled.

 

“He has your grace. How is the Queen and the family?”

 

“They are all doing well. Daeron is getting bigger and bigger and so is little Lyanna. Dany is doing well, she even gave me some letters to give you,” Jon said as he reached inside of his cloak for the letters.

 

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. Then she crossed over to her brother and gave him a hug.

 

“When is the baby due?” Jon asked Robb

 

“Not for another few months at least. Maester Luwin reckons we’re going to have twins,” Robb added with a wide grin and Jon gave him another hug of congratulations

 

“Twins eh? That’ll be a handful,” Jon said as he thought about Daeron and Lyanna, especially Lyanna.

 

“It will, but I’ve had a little practice with Daeron,” Margaery said as she took a seat. Jon shook his head, and hid a smile. Margaery would be lucky if she got twins as well behaved as Daeron was. Jon loved his daughter, but even he knew that she was appearing to be a wild child.

 

“Would you like something to eat or drink?” Catelyn asked and Jon nodded.

 

“Yes please. Only something light to hold us until dinner,”

 

“It is dinner time,” Ned added with a small smile.

 

“Very well, I guess we’ll have dinner, but first, we should talk so you can properly prepare, I want to leave tomorrow morning,” Jon replied and the men nodded. Margaery bid her goodbyes, before they all took seats around the table

 

“Have you received another raven from the Night’s watch?” Jon asked

 

“Just more of the same. This Mance Rayder situation is more severe than I thought,” Lord Stark said.

 

“Who is he? Where did he come from?” Loras asked. “We must know something about him,”

“I have no idea who he is. The Night’s Watch will be more familiar with him,” Ned said as he sighed. “The Night’s Watch have said that he has managed to unite all of the Wildlings,”

“How many is that?” Loras asked

 

“They have no idea,” Ned replied.

 

“The Wall is said to be 300 foot tall, and was built to keep out Wildlings,” Robb said and Jon nodded.

 

“Aye, but the Wall has not been manned properly for years. I do what I can, when I can, but it’s not enough. The Wildlings can get past the wall, some even raid the Gift before they are caught,”

 

“How many men have you prepared to ride North?” Jon asked

 

“I have 100 ready. I’ve also prepared mules to carry some provisions North and I also hope to pick up men from Last Hearth,” Ned said quickly and Jon nodded.

 

“We will ride at first light tomorrow,” Jon said. “I will need to send a few ravens before we leave,”

 

“I will have men start shoveling as much snow as they can,” Ned replied and Jon shook his head before smiling.

 

“I have a dragon, Vedros can clear the Kings Road for us. That will save us a few days travel,”

 

“Very well your grace,” Ned replied. “If I may ask, what is your plan for Mance Rayder?”

 

“Once we reach the wall, I plan to speak with the Lord Commander and Maester Aemon and to see what else they can add to the situation. Then I plan to meet with Mance Rayder and find out what he plans to do with this host of his. I will not abandon the Wall,”

 

“Will you go to war with him?” Robb asked and Jon shook his head and shrugged

 

“I shouldn’t need to. Vedros should be able to persuade him not to choose war against a dragon. If Vedros and I fail to convince him, then I will send for Daenerys and my father. Three grown dragons should be able to crush whatever army Mance Rayder has gathered with ease,” Jon replied.

 

The men around the table nodded and they fell silent. Then they heard a knock on the door as a servant came in with their meals. The mood turned light and the conversation changed to moor relaxing topics. Robb told them about the progress of the first keep, and how proud he was of the design. Apparently, they had managed to incorporate some of Margaery’s ideas and in his mind, the place would be perfect.

 

Thinking of the newly designed keep turned Jon’s mind to Summerhall. He had half a mind to start restoring it, but as of yet they could not find the men or the time to do it. He would have to speak to Shireen and find a castellan to hold the castle for them. However, Jon shook his head and focused on the present, restoring Summerhall would have to remain a dream for spring.

 

Ned asked about his daughters and how they were faring in Kings Landing. Jon told them that they were fine and they were a great help with the children.

 

Jon decided to head to bed early that night and encouraged everyone else to do the same. He would send a raven to Daenerys giving her a brief update before retiring for the night. Tomorrow, the real work would begin.

 

**The Queen of Westeros**

 

After seeing her husband off for his trip North, Dany returned to the castle with their guards and children. She ate her lunch with Sansa, Arya, Missandei and Irri. She had fed Lyanna on the way back to the castle and now her daughter was asleep in her bassinet across the room. Under her watchful eye, Daeron ate all of his lunch before he was allowed to play with Nymeria.

 

“Will Grey worm be heading to Dragonstone?” Missandei asked as they finished their work.

 

“No. He will remain in Kings Landing,” Dany said quickly and she caught Missandei’s small smile. Instead, she turned to Sansa.

 

“How are things with you and Willas?” she asked. Surprisingly, at Robb and Margaery’s wedding in Winterfell, another betrothal between Sansa and Willas Tyrell had been announced to take place in the spring.

 

Dany had initially been surprised by this move, but she did not object to it. As long as both Willas and Sansa were happy, then she saw no problem

 

“Things are going well. I wish I could travel to Highgarden to see him but as you know, the roads are poor. Highgarden sounds wonderful, Margaery says the gardens are vast and beautiful and Willas say they have singers and dancing nearly all year round,”

 

“Have you started preparing for the wedding?” Dany asked and Sansa blushed a little before answering

 

“I have started to put a few dresses together,” she said quickly “But Spring could be months away. I was thinking of designing a dress based on some of the summer dresses you brought with you from Essos,”

 

“That’s a good place to start, I’m sure one of my handmaidens can help,” Dany suggested and Missandei and Irri quickly nodded. “What about you Arya?”

 

“What about me?” Arya plainly replied

 

“I noticed you have a new dagger,” Dany casually mentioned and she saw Arya quickly shrug.

 

“It’s just a dagger,”

 

“Didn’t you have a new one made a few months ago? Surely you can find a better smith?” Dany teased and Arya blushed

 

“My smith is fine,” she snapped and Sansa opened her mouth in shock.

 

“Arya, she’s still the _Queen,_ ” Sansa insisted.

 

“It’s quite alright, Sansa, I was only teasing,” Dany said after a moment and Sansa relaxed slightly. At that moment, Daeron appeared at the table and he started to tug Arya’s sleeve

 

“Play?” he asked and Dany nodded.

 

“Be careful little one,” she said as Arya scooped him up in her arms. “Where are you taking him today, Arya?”

“We’ll have a little walk around the castle. I think I’ll take him up to the rookery and maybe if it snows, we can play outside for a little while,” Arya said and Dany nodded.

 

“Not too long in the snow, I really don’t want him to get sick,”

 

“Fine, not too long,” Arya repeated as she left the room with Nymeria in tow. After they left, Dany stood up and sighed,

 

“I’m afraid ladies, I too must take my leave. I will be holding court this afternoon,” she crossed over to the sleeping Lyanna and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before moving to the door.

 

“If Lyanna wakes, send for me. I’ll feed her myself,” Dany said and the ladies all nodded in understanding. Lyanna did have a wet nurse, the same wet nurse as Daeron, but feeding Lyanna was one of the great joys of being a mother. Not to mention, it also came with the benefit of giving her a reason to cancel court afterwards.

 

She was escorted to the great hall by Ser Barristan as Ser Jaime stayed behind to watch where Lyanna slept.

 

The great hall was one of the areas of the castle that had gone through extensive changes and renovations. The great dragon skulls had been brought up from the dungeons and stood on guard in the corners of the rooms. The Iron Throne had been removed and melted down and replaced by two identical weirwood thrones. One for Jon and one for herself. The thrones held intricate designs that showcased the sigil of House Targayren, and House Stark.

 

Dany took a seat upon the right throne and the herald began that afternoon’s proceedings.

 

Due to the worsening weather, most of the issues brought to her were local issues around the city. She handed out punishments for various petty crimes such as stealing and vandalism and offered compensation for those who had suffered. In two surprisingly short hours, she had managed to see 10 petitioners, and there was thankfully only one left.

 

“Your grace, this is the Lady Melisandre, she is a Red Priestess and she has travelled all the way from Volantis,” the herald announced as Melisandre stepped forward. She wore flowing red robes with a red ruby necklace. Surprisingly, she did not seem to be wearing many layers, Dany wondered if she felt the cold.

 

“Lady Melisandre,” Daenerys said in greeting. “Thank you for travelling all this way to see me, I can only hope that the seas were kind. Volantis is a city with many memories for me,” she continued as she recalled their wedding in the city.

 

“Your grace, Queen Daenerys. The Lord of Light granted me safe passage throughout my voyage. He has brought me here so I can deliver a message to you and his grace,”

 

“King Aegon is,” Daenerys began but she was interrupted.

 

“In the North heading towards the great wall of ice. He is seeking an enemy there, but not the right one. Westeros has forgotten who the true enemy is, as have you,”

 

“The true enemy?” Daenerys repeated as an uneasy feeling spread inside of her.

 

“Yes, your grace. The true enemy, to the North. One that you have already been warned about,” Melisandre slowly replied. Dany looked at her warily, the jewels in her ruby necklace shone brightly. She saw concern etched across Ser Barristan’s face as he held one hand on the hilt of his sword

 

“What are you talking about?” Daenerys asked, trying hard to mask her uncomfortableness.

“Do you remember the High Priest Benerro?” Melisandre asked and Dany nodded after a brief pause. “He has already warned you,”

 

“He did not,”

 

“The cold winds are rising to the North and the dead rise with it. The Great Other is nearly here. You must defeat it or else he will plunge the world into eternal darkness.” she replied ominously. Somehow it seemed as if the room had suddenly become colder, the candles had seemingly burned lower in the throne room. Surprisingly, her magical necklace was the brightest light in the room.

 

Daenerys stared at her after she finished speaking before she slowly stood from the throne.

 

“Grey worm. See that the Lady Melisandre has appropriate quarters in the city, I have finished holding court for today,” Dany said without taking her eyes off the Red Woman. As she was being escorted out, Dany left the great hall through a side door and headed quickly for the nursery.

  
Inside she saw Rhaegar playing with Lyanna and he quickly looked up at her and saw her panicked expression.

 

“Dany what’s the matter with you?”

 

“Rhaegar, what in seven hells is the Great Other?”


	2. A Dragon in the Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story

“She thought back to a tale she had heard as a child, about the children of the forest and their battles with the First Men, when the greenseers turned the trees to warriors. (ADWD, The Wayward Bride)”

 

* * *

 

**The Winged Wolf**

 

It was another day in the cave for Brandon Stark. Another day of eating weirwood paste and bugs. Another day with his strange companions.

 However, Bran had something else to look forward to today, Lord Brynden was taking him for another lesson. Bran thought back to the previous lesson that they had, he had learned that the Children of the Forest had been at war with man, confirming what Old Nan had told him in a story years ago.

 But there were things that Bran did not understand. Those oily black rocks had to be magical, there was no other way to explain the properties that they exhibited. If they were magical, then that meant that the children must have been performing some sort of magical ritual.

 He would find out the answers today, or so he hoped.

 He glanced towards Lord Brynden who was sitting in his weirwood throne, waiting patiently.

“I’m ready,” Bran called, his voice steady and confident. Lord Brynden eyed him before he nodded his head and then they were flying.

 They flew through time again, right back to the same place where they had left off last time. This time, he was not held back as he walked towards the clearing. He saw the children of the forest again as he walked past the spiraling ring of oily black stones, he followed them to the weirwood tree and then he saw a man

 Bran was surprised to see him, Lord Brynden had said that this was before the First men had arrived, perhaps they had come back to the same spot but at a different time. Still, Bran moved forward to see what was happening.

 Then Bran noticed that the man was bound to the weirwood tree and he was struggling to break free. Bran paused, as he watched Leaf stepped forward, an oily black dagger in her hand. Bran stood rooted to the spot as Leaf stepped forward and drove the dagger through the man’s heart.

 The man screamed through his gag as he thrashed at his restraints but Leaf did not stop. Then the man stopped screaming as his brown eyes turned blue, bright blue.

 Bran awoke with a start and he immediately turned to leaf.

 “You did this. You created the White Walkers,”

 “We did,” she said sadly.

 “Why? Why would you do that?” Bran asked in outrage.

 “We were at war, a war that we were losing. Men would’ve chopped down all of our weirwood trees and slaughtered us all. We needed to protect ourselves,” Leaf told him. Bran could not believe it, the White Walkers were like knights for the Children, a weapon they created for their protection.

“What happened?” Bran asked “If you created them, why do you need me?”

 “We lost control of them. They became too strong, even for us,” Leaf said sadly and Bran shook his head.

 “None of this makes sense. If you lost control, then how did you defeat them the first time?”

 “Enough Brandon,” Brynden called from his position. “That is enough questions for Leaf. Take some time, reflect on what you have seen and we will resume again tomorrow, there is more to this tale”

 Tomorrow? Bran thought to himself. That would not do, he had hundreds of questions that he still needed answering, perhaps most importantly, the one he did not understand is why did they need _him_. What was so special about him? Why was this all happening now?

 “Come on Bran,” he heard Meera call. “Let’s do something else for a while,”

 Bran looked at her and then slowly let go of the Weirwood branch, he would have to wait until tomorrow.

  


**The Queen of Westeros**

 

Daenerys Targaryen tossed and turned underneath her silk bed sheets. She dreamt of creatures in the far north. She saw great beasts hidden away inside of furious winter blizzard. She was on the back of Anogar, and her dragon roared and hissed and shot his black flame but it was not enough. They could not get away. The blizzard came for them all, first Jon, then Rhaegar, then her little Daeron and Lyanna, and she was powerless to help them.

 She woke up with a start as she stared around her dark room. The candles were still burning low and it must have been very early in the morning. She looked towards her left and saw both of her babies sleeping next to her and she felt reassured, she would not be able to live if something happened to them

 Dany gently stroked their cheeks and watched them as they slept. As Jon wasn’t here, she let them sleep in their bed, it was a comfort she allowed herself. Daeron was asleep on his front whilst Lyanna was closer to her on her side. Both of her children had their eggs with them and Dany was content to just watch them as they slept

 After her audience with the Red Woman, Dany went to Rhaegar to find out everything that he knew about the Great Other which unfortunately wasn’t a lot. Rhaegar had guessed that the Great Other was the leader of the Others. As Dany had not grown up in Westeros, she knew nothing about the Long Night, or the White Walkers, it was all new for her.

 Unfortunately, it seemed that the Maesters at the Citadel did not believe in the White Walkers or magic and this meant that they had not kept good copies of books that would have provided her with more information. Rhaegar had one book that had one short page about them, but apart from that, there was nothing.

 Dany sighed as she rubbed her eyes. The old book laid open at the page that she was on last night, it had not given her much information. It just confirmed to her that the Long Night had come thousands of years ago, and the White Walkers came and plunged Westeros into darkness. It did not tell her how long it lasted, or how it was stopped, or anything useful.

 Dany was not sure if she believed it. The White Walkers had not been seen for thousands of years that is of course, if they existed in the first place. Perhaps, Melissandre was just a crazy woman who had taken her beliefs too far. Dany had half a mind to tell Grey Worm to find her again but frankly, she was not in the mood for her eerie talk.

 She was mostly worried about Jon, by now he would be marching to the Wall. Dany knew that she would feel a lot better when her family was all back together here in the Red Keep.

 To her left, Lyanna stirred in her sleep. Dany watched as her daughter opened her mouth, kicked a little before she settled down to sleep again. Dany smiled, it seemed she was busy, even in her sleep.

 Dany gently pushed the covers off herself before she slipped into her robe. She walked over to the window and opened it slightly so she could peer outside. It had snowed overnight and Dany could see a thin layer of snow on the tiled red roofs of people’s houses. Dany did not mind the snow, she was used to it by now.

 “Mama?” Daeron called in a voice heavy with sleep.

 “Shhh, sweetling, go back to sleep,” she said gently however Daeron had other ideas. He rolled over and then he sat up in bed looking around. He looked a little confused and Dany realized that he was wondering why he was not in his own room. She quickly picked him up and held him close to her chest. She felt his small little hands tightly grip onto her dress as she gently rocked him in her arms. She tried to put him back to sleep but it seemed Daeron had other ideas.

 “Mama, what’s that?” Daeron said as he pointed at the book.

 “That’s a book, Sweetling,”

 “Story?” he asked hopefully and Dany shook her head.

 “That’s not a story book. It’s a boring book,” she told him and Daeron frowned in confusion, he didn’t know what that word meant. She was about to try and explain it to him, but his sister woke up. Lyanna lifted up her head and quickly looked around so she gently put Daeron back on the bed before she picked up Lyanna to feed her. Lyanna eagerly latched on and Dany cradled her gently. Daeron decided that he wanted to play but Lyanna grabbed hold of his finger as if to stop him.

 “Mama! My finger!” Daeron said excitedly

 “I know Sweetling, she’s a very strong little girl,” she gently replied as she stroked her hair. Her raven hair was growing quickly and it reminded her of her father.

 She sighed before she closed the useless book about White Walkers and pushed it to the side. She would have to speak to Jon about it when he returned, she needed his opinion on the matter.

 

* * *

 

 

After baths and breakfasts, Dany attended to her Queenly duties that day. Thankfully, due to the snowfalls it meant that she did not have many petitioners and so her time in the throne room was short. Then after that, she only had a few household matters to attend to before she was free for the rest of the day.

 So she decided to spend some time with her children. Dany joined Arya and Daeron as they played outside in the snow. Even though it had not snowed much, Arya was determined to help him build something with the snow and Daeron followed her every instruction with unmatched eagerness. Seeing Daeron laugh and scream as he enjoyed himself filled her heart with joy. She was reluctant to end their fun, but she was scheduled to have her weekly lunch with Arianne Martell.

 She was escorted to the Maiden vault by Ser Jaime Lannister and she decided to ask him a few questions.

 “Ser Jaime, what do you know about the White Walkers?”

 “Nothing but a tale wet nurses tell to scare little children,” he replied with a shrug. “Although, I believe Prince Daeron is too young for those type of tales,”

 “Do you think there’s any truth to the matter?”

 “Perhaps there was, but if they were, they existed several thousand years ago and no one has seen them since. Remember your grace, that there are stories of giants and mammoths that used to walk this land,”

 “People said that the Dragons would never come back, yet here we are,” Daenerys pointed out and Jaime nodded.

 “Good point. Although I do not think you should take the words of this woman so seriously. Trust your advisors and trust your own eyes, not some crazy woman from Volantis,” Jaime said and Dany nodded and they spent the rest of the journey in silence. Dany mulled over his words, he did have a point, why _should_ she believe the Red Priestess? All she had brought were her words, she brought no proof.

 Dany shook her head as she entered the Maiden vault. Ser Jaime was most likely right, the red woman was a liar.

 As she entered the Maiden vault, the smell of food filled her nose. They walked around the corner and found that their lunch had been laid out on a table in the middle of the main room. Several servants were standing waiting to one side and she saw Arianne Martell stood waiting for her.

 “Your grace,” she said with a bow.

 “Princess Arianne, please let’s sit,” Dany said as she took her seat. Arianne sat opposite whilst Ser Jaime guarded the door. They lunched on a meal of freshly baked bread, roast pork and roast potatoes and whilst they ate, they exchanged pleasant conversation. About the affairs of the realm, Arianne did not bring up the Red Woman which was a relief to her. They finished their meal and Dany was at the door when she called her back.

 “Your grace, may I ask you a question?”

 “You may,” Dany replied

 “What is it like to be a mother?” she asked. Dany looked at her curiously before she answered.

 “Being a mother, is the greatest feeling I have ever experienced,” Dany said quietly as she thought of her children. “Every day with them is somehow better than the last. Just being to be there with them, to watch as they grow and laugh and discover the world around them, it’s truly amazing,”

 She looked at Arianne who was nodding sadly

 “I have seen you look at Daeron and how much he loves you, and I want to experience that one day” she said quietly.

 “You want to return to Dorne?”

 “Yes. I am still the heir to Dorne and my children will inherit Sunspear after me. Returning to Dorne will allow me to travel the lands and find a suitable match,”

 Dany paused as she looked at her. Arianne had been very helpful during their short reign so far, she could not deny her that.

 “Princess Arianne. I do not wish to stand in your way of being a mother, but sending you back to Dorne is something that I will have to discuss with my husband,”

“You let Lord Renly return to Storms End,”

 “Yes, but only for the winter, and only after discussing it with Jon,” Dany said firmly

 “Very well, that seems fair. All I ask is that you please consider this request,”

 Dany nodded at her politely before she left the room. Whilst Arianne had been helpful in bringing Dorne into the fold, she still was a valuable hostage to keep the Dornish in line. Dany did not forget that they supported the false dragon and raised up arms against them.

 Still, Dany couldn’t help but sympathize with Arianne’s desire to be a mother, it truly was a wonderful feeling. Suddenly, she came up with an idea, a compromise of sorts. Arianne would be allowed to marry, but she and her husband will have to reside in the Maiden vault until they allowed her to return to Dorne.

 Dany had no intention to keep her in Kings Landing forever, it was only a short term punishment until they knew they could trust Dorne to remain loyal. She would send a raven to Winterfell and the Wall later, giving Jon an update of what was happening back home.

 She would not include the nonsense involving the Red Woman, she did not need to worry him with that. She only hoped that he was safe, and he would come home soon.

 

**The Lord Commander**

 

Ser Barristan Selmy was sitting alone in the White Sword Tower, he was on his break now, and he would be guarding the royal family this afternoon. With Ser Loras and Ser Jorah in the North, they had less people to guard the royal family.

 This was not a problem, as Grey Worm and the other members of the Unsullied were more than capable to help and step in if it became necessary. It was also partially his fault. During his time with Robert Baratheon, he had watched as the Kingsguard was filled with dishonorable and unworthy men who were not worthy of the white cloak. Men like Ser Meryn Trant and Ser Boros Blount.

 Ser Barristan had wanted to avoid that, and so he had been very meticulous in his recruiting. He had heard of a Vale knight by the name of Ser Lyn Corbray. Ser Barristan remembered him. He allegedly killed Ser Lewyn Martell during the Usurper’s rebellion. Ser Barristan did not know the knight at all, but he had sent a missive requesting he travel to the city to see if he possessed the caliber of the kind of knight that he was looking for. The Hand, Lord Tyrion, had been insistent of filling the vacant spots on the Kingsguard as quickly as possible, but the King and Queen had understood his desire for patience.

 He absent mindedly flipped through the pages of the White Book. It was finally up to date, he had even started new entries for Ser Loras, Ser Jorah and Lady Brienne. He was pleased with their newest recruits to the order. Their entries were short, only detailing their years of induction, but Ser Barristan was sure they would go on to do great things and bring glory back to the Kingsguard.

 He was deep in thought when he heard a knock on the door.  
  
“Come in,” he called as he rose to his feet. The door opened and he was surprised to see Lord Tyrion.

 “Lord Hand,” he greeted.

 “Lord Commander,” Tyrion replied with a smile. “So this is the famous White Sword Tower. Believe it or not this is the first time I’ve been here,”

 “Really?”

 “Yes. I’ve never had a reason too,”

 “Then what brings you here today?” Ser Barristan asked curiously and Tyrion gave him a weak smile.

 “I have another suggestion for the Kingsguard,” he began as he took a seat opposite him. Ser Barristan waited patiently for him to speak again. “Sandor Clegane,”

 “Clegane?” Ser Barristan asked in surprise.

 “Not Gregor. Sandor, the younger brother,” Tyrion quickly informed him. Ser Barristan vaguely remembered him, but then he spotted a problem with the suggestion.

 “He’s not a knight,” he said and Tyrion nodded

 “Yes, that may be true, but he is more than capable,”

 “At fighting yes, but there is much more that goes into being a knight that being a skilled fighter,” Ser Barristan insisted. “This is the exact problem that Robert Baratheon had, he gave any competent butcher a white cloak, and he sullied the order!”

 “Sandor Clegane is not a butcher,” Tyrion pointed out. “All I ask, is that you meet him and give him a fair shot,”

 Ser Barristan sighed and rubbed his temples.

 “Where is he? The Westerlands?” he hoped.

 “No,” Tyrion replied with a smile. “He arrived in the city this morning,”

 “Fine. I will see him, Ser Jaime and I will assess him,” Ser Barristan said with a long sigh.

“Thank you, that’s all I ask,” Tyrion said as he stood to leave the room.

 

**The Silver Prince**

 

Rhaegar Targaryen was seated in the nursery as he watched over his granddaughter that afternoon. The little girl was sitting on the floor as she played with her rattles. Rhaegar smiled as the little girl laughed and giggled at the noises she could make with the instruments. Later on, he would sing to her to help her sleep.

 Lyanna loved it when he sung.

 He had to pay close attention to the little babe, she was curious and liked to explore and he had to ensure that she did not hurt herself. Still, he could not help his mind from wandering to the conversation that he had shared with Daenerys the previous day

 He had heard of the Great Other, years ago during his readings about the White Walkers. He had read all about ‘The Prince that was promised’, the prophesied warrior who would defeat them. At first, he thought that it was him.

 He was born amidst the Tragedy of Summerhall, a raging fire that had killed nearly his entire family. He was born from the line of Aerys and Rhaella, and his readings had led to him to picking up the sword and shield to become a warrior.

 However after a while, he realized that he was wrong, it was not him. He had failed that day on the Trident and he had nearly caused the complete extinction of his own family. No, he could not be the one that saved the world when he couldn’t even save his own family.

 During his years in Essos, the thoughts of the prophecy and the White Walkers had slipped from his mind, he had been too consumed by his mission to find his family again. However, thanks to Jon and Daenerys, House Targaryen had been restored and Rhaegar couldn’t help but wonder if this threat was finally rearing its head.

 Manning the Wall would be a priority and he would have to convince Daenerys to send more men to the Wall. It would be difficult to convince the Lords to send their men North without any proof of these White Walkers, they would have to use the Dothraki and the Unsullied.

 Rhaegar sighed, even then, he had no idea of the severity of this threat. He had been gone from Westeros for over 20 years, and the Walkers had not made a move, they had not moved for thousands of years really, why now? There was no guarantee that they would move now, those men at the walls could be waiting there for years, waiting for something they did not believe in.

 He was interrupted from his thoughts by Lyanna. The little girl was calling for his attention as she raised her arms up expectantly. Rhaegar smiled before picking her up and giving her a gentle kiss. Lyanna gripped his tunic tightly as she settled into his chest and Rhaegar let out a content sigh.

 “I think it’s time for your nap, Princess,” he said softly as he began to sing.

  
  


**The King of Westeros**

 

Despite Vedros’s help in clearing the roads, the journey North was slow. It took them 10 days to journey from Winterfell to the Wall. They travelled with 100 men from Winterfell, with another 200 from Last Hearth and other minor houses. Lord Stark had not wanted to drag many men from their homes in this weather and Jon was inclined to agree. The smaller party also gave them the benefit of being able to travel faster in comparison to a larger one. Despite all the magical wonders and crafts of Valyria, the Valyrians had never come up with a way to keep warm in cold weather. Perhaps because the lands in their domain and which were of interest to them never experienced much of snowfall and winter.

 On the tenth day of travel, Jon could finally see the Wall in front of them. He had been here before. He and his family had travelled to the Wall to see it however they had not stayed for too long. Pirates had landed on the Stepstones and dealing with that issue had needed their immediate and full attention. Jon was looking forward to seeing his great uncle Aemon once again.

 Jon rode at the front of the line with Ser Loras and Ser Jorah flanking him. Robb rode behind him with his father. The banner of House Targaryen flew high in the sky followed by the banner of House Stark. Seeing Castle Black filled the men with a new burst of energy and they had managed to arrive at Castle Black around mid-afternoon.

 Vedros had headed off to hunt, Jon hoped that she would be able to find enough food, they themselves were eating rations that they had taken from Winterfell. Jon imagined that Vedros would have to fly far over the sea to hunt. Ghost and Greywind would be able to fend for themselves in the woods and lands that made up the Gift

 As they were so far north, the sun was already beginning to set by the time they reached the courtyard of Castle Black. Thankfully, it did not appear to be snowing today and this meant that there was only a light amount of snow on the ground. Castle Black was not truly a castle as it had no real walls to protect it from the south, east or west. The only wall, was the Wall to the North. The ice that made up the Wall was glistening in the weak afternoon sun; it was still an amazing sight.

 However, Jon had to focus on what was happening in the courtyard. The Lord Commander, Ser Alliser Thorne had come to greet them. He had been told that the man was a Targaryen loyalist during the rebellion, and he had chosen to be sent to the Wall rather than kneel to Robert Baratheon.

 “Lord Commander,” Jon said as he got off his horse

 “Your grace. Thank you for joining us today. We can use your help,”

“The Iron Throne recognises the importance of the Wall and the Nights Watch. I have brought men and supplies to help. If you would kindly call your steward, we can help to store this all away before it gets too dark,”

 “Of course your grace. I have also had rooms prepared for you in the Kings Tower. Your Kingsguard also have bunks in the tower,” Ser Alliser said and Jon nodded.

 “Whilst they pack away, lets head inside to talk, we have much to discuss,” Jon said and Ser Alliser bowed before turning and leading them away. As over 10 people would be at this meeting, Ser Alliser led them to the common hall, where the men of the Night’s watch ate their meals.

 “Where is Maester Aemon?” Jon asked as he looked around the room and Ser Alliser sighed

 “Probably in the library. Find the Slayer and get him to bring the maester,” Ser Alliser said to his personal steward

 “The Slayer?” Jon asked and Ser Alliser laughed lightly before he answered.

 “The Tarly boy, he claims to have killed a White Walker so the lads have started to call him Sam the Slayer,” he told them

 “A white walker?” Lord Stark asked, his face a mask of confusion. “They’re nothing more than a tale to scare little children,”

 “Of course, but Tarly claims to have seen one,” Alliser added with a chuckle. Jon pursed his lips before he shook his head. He would have to speak with Samwell Tarly later, he wondered what would cause a man to come up with such a tale.

 “Tell me about Mance Rayder,” Jon said and Ser Alliser face grew hard.

 “The so called King-beyond-the-wall used to be one of us until he turned his cloak,” he spat bitterly. “He was a ranger out of the Shadow Tower, one of my sworn brothers,”

 “Why did he turn cloak?”

 “I don’t know. Rumour has it his mother was a Wildling, perhaps he’s sympathetic to their cause,”

 “When did Mance Rayder leave? Has he submitted any demands?” Lord Stark asked.

 “Years ago, perhaps Maester Aemon will know,” the Lord Commander said as the old Maester was wheeled into the room. Jon smiled when he saw him.

 “Maester Aemon,” he called as he walked over to him.

 “Your grace,” the old man replied softly. He reached out his hands in his general direction and Jon gently clasped them “It is good to hear your voice again, nephew. Tell me, have the Queen and the little prince come as well?”

 “No,” Jon said sadly. “Dany is in Kings Landing with Daeron and Lyanna,”

 “Of course,” Aemon replied as his mouth twitched into a smile. “The little Princess, children are the greatest joy a man can have. It is a shame such dark times have caused you to be separated from them,”

 Jon nodded slowly. He had not seen his wife and children for over a week and being away from them was hard. He missed seeing Daeron’s smile and listening to Lyanna’s laugh as she discovered something new in the world around her. His children were the greatest joy that he had.

 “Maester Aemon, what can you tell us about Mance Rayder?” Jon asked

 “He was a ranger, a talented one if I remember correctly. He loved the wild better than the Wall, after all, he was wildling born. Taken in as a child when some raiders were put to the sword. When he left the shadow tower, he was only going home again,”

  
Jon nodded and then he looked at the man who wheeled him in. He was slightly shorter than Jon, but what he lacked for in height he more than made up for in size. He clearly noticed him looking at him because he quickly introduced himself in a stammering voice.

 “Sam- Samwell Tarly, your grace,” he said as he bowed.

 “Samwell?” Jon asked

 “You can call me Sam if it pleases you,” he said quickly “Or Samwell if it doesn’t,” he quickly added. Jon smiled at him

 “Sam will do fine,” he said and Sam took a deep breath in relief. “Sam, I have a few questions for you. I’d quite like for you to answer them,”

 “Of - Of course,” he said quickly and Jon took a deep breath before beginning.

 “I heard you killed a White Walker?” he asked and he saw the colour drain from Sam’s face as he turned a ghastly white.

 “I - I - I didn’t kill it, your grace, it was the dagger,” Sam stammered as he shook his head

 “The dagger?” Jon asked in confusion

 “Yes, it was a dragonglass dagger, I didn’t do anything, I just sort of stabbed it,” Sam told him and Jon shook his head in confusion.

 “Sam, you’re not making sense, start from the beginning, take your time,” he said slowly and he watched as Sam took a deep breath

 “We were at the Fist of the First Men. Lord Commander Mormont had called a great ranging to find Benjen Stark and to gather more information on the Wildling army. We were camped up outside Craster’s Keep, It was early in the morning when they attacked,”

 “Who?” Ser Jorah asked

 “The White Walkers,” Sam said as he shuddered, his voice took on a different tone, a clearer one as he spoke “I remember it clearly. I was asleep when the horns blew. At first, I thought it was the Wildlings but then the third horn blew,”

 “I panicked really. I tried to send a message with the ravens but as soon as I opened the cage they all flew away. I remember the cloud and the darkness and I knew I had to get away from it. So I ran South, I managed to find Gilly and her child and together we escaped,”

 “We were somewhere in the haunted forest when they found us. They made no sound, it was like they moved as one with the forest and the trees. I thought I was hallucinating at first, but I will never forget what they looked like,”

 “They were tall and eerily beautiful. They had flesh as pale as milk and their eyes. Oh their eyes,” Sam said as he shivered

 “What colour where their eyes?”

 “Blue, as bright as blue stars and as cold. They carried a sword the colour of milkglass. I remember he was slowly walking towards me. Grenn was over to the side, he wouldn’t be able to help me. I remember picking up the dagger and I ran at him and I just stabbed him,” Sam finished

 “Then what happened?” Jon asked quietly

 “It was like, he started to dissolve. It was like he was melting,” Sam said as he opened his eyes. “That’s the only way to describe it,”

 Jon took a deep breath, closed his eyes and massaged his temples

 He had come North to deal with the King-beyond-the-Wall who was threatening his realm, he did not know about the so called White Walkers

 “It’s a load of nonsense,” Ser Alliser said dismissively. “Everyone hear knows that Samwell is the most craven boy here. I am sorry you had to hear that nonsense, your grace,”

 Jon took another deep breath as he looked at Sam again. He looked at the pale colour of his face, the way that his hand was clenched tightly into a fist. Then, he shook his head.

 There was no way someone could tell a tale that horrific in that vivid detail, he did not need to ask Maester Aemon for his opinion, he knew that unfortunately there was some truth to the tale

 “Dragonglass,” Jon said quietly. “This kills White Walkers?”  Sam vigorously nodded

 “Yes. I’m sure. It’s also called Obsidian,”

 “How much of it do you have?”

 “A tonne of it actually,” Sam said as he frowned. “There’s a cave full of dragonglass under Dragonstone and a shipment from there arrived a month ago,”

 “What?” Jon asked in surprise. Neither he or Dany had sent any ships from the island, neither had they authorized any mining. “It must have been my father. He was the Crown Prince and he spent years on the island. He would know about any mines,”

 “I believe it was,”

 “How many weapons do you have?”

“Only one dagger and a handful of arrow heads,”

 “Can’t you make more?”

 “Our smith, Donal Noyle, says it's too fragile. He’s only made a handful of new daggers,” Sam answered and Jon nodded slowly. He would have to send a raven to Kings Landing to sort this out. They would have to send a smith North to the Wall at least temporarily. One of Tobho Mott’s apprentices would be ideal.

 “Sam. Later today, I will need to send some ravens. Could you help me with that?” Jon said and Sam nodded

 “Of course your grace,” he said eagerly.

 “Good. In the meantime, I want to make sure our men are settled and we set up more patrols on the Wall,” Jon said as he addressed the rest of the room. He opened his mouth to speak again when he heard a loud warhorn.

 

Ahooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-ooooooooooooo

 

The noise went on and on as it seemingly resonated deep within Jon’s bones

 “One blast, rangers returning,” Ser Alliser said calmly as he went to the door. Then they heard a second blast

 

Ahoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

“Wildlings,” he said as his expression turned cold. “We’re under attack. We need to man the wall,”

 Jon nodded and quickly moved to follow him, praying that they did not hear a third blast.

 All the men burst out of the room and into the castle courtyard where brothers of the Night’s watch were quickly running around getting themselves prepared to man the Wall. The men looked panicked, they were not expecting the Wildlings to assault the Wall. To make matters worse, nightfall was upon them and it looked as if they would be fighting into the night.  

 “Sam, Take me to the top of the wall,” Jon ordered.

 “I can’t. I need to see protect Gilly,” he stammered

 “Gilly? What’s a Gilly?” Jon asked as Sam staggered away through the falling snow.

 He looked up in the sky for Vedros but he couldn’t see her, it was too dark. However, he did see Ghost and Greywind, the two direwolves had bounded into the courtyard, their muzzles still wet with blood from their hunt. Jon was glad to at least have his wolf by his side.

“Your grace, you are not wearing your battle armour,” Ser Jorah pointed out and Jon shrugged

 “I won’t be in the fray,” Jon said quickly. “They can’t get to me from up there,”

 “Your grace, the Queen would not be happy if something was to happen to you,” he pointed out

 “Well, have it ready for me when I come down, or have it sent up to the Wall for me,” he said and Ser Jorah nodded before speeding away to find his squire.

 A Night’s watch guardsman quickly led him to the cage that would take them to the top of the Wall. He, Ser Loras, Robb, Lord Stark and the Lord Commander all entered the cage. As they ascended, the air grew colder and colder and Jon quickly wrapped his cloak tightly around him to shield himself from the chill. The cage started to rock against the side of the Wall and Jon was grateful when they reached the top.

 The sky above was a cobalt blue, deepening to purple and Jon could begin to see the stars coming out. But as he looked lower, he saw orange, bright orange.

 The haunted forest was ablaze. The fire stretched for miles upon miles to the left and the right as the smoke from the fire clouded the beautiful sky.

 “They’re burning the forest,” the Lord Commander shouted.

 “Why? Why would they do that?” Robb asked and Jon wondered the same, why would they set the forest ablaze?

 “They want us to know they’re coming,” Lord Stark said grimly. Jon nodded as he looked out over the burning forest, then he saw something.

 “They’re coming,” Jon said as he pointed out a line of figures emerging from the treeline. A line of wildlings were walking forward towards the Wall, he could hear them faintly shouting and cheering as they advanced. There were hundreds of them, thousands really.

 “Lord Commander, how many fighting men do we have at Castle Black?” Jon asked

 “2,000,” he quickly replied.

 “It’s not enough,” Jon said as he shook his head. He looked up and down the Wall. The brothers of the Night’s watch had gotten themselves into position. Some had brought up bows and arrows whilst others were rolling barrels of rocks and pitch into position.

 “It’s not enough. I need Vedros,” Jon said again as he turned around to head back to the cage. He rattled Darkfyre in its scabbard as he searched for his dragon but before he could find her, the warhorn blew again.

 

Ahoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

  


Ahoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

“We know the bloody Wildlings are here Clydas, you fool!” Thorne roared but the brother just shook his head

 “They’re on the other side, they’re below us, in the courtyard,” Clydas shouted

 “What!” Thorne roared as he sprinted to the other side of the wall. Jon joined him and he saw that Clydas was right. Fighting was breaking out in the courtyard but they were too high to see who was winning.

 “The fire was a signal,” Robb shouted. “To hit us from both sides of the Wall,”

 Jon nodded in agreement, they needed to get down there. If the men on this side of the Wall fell, then they would be trapped up here, either waiting for the wildlings from below to come up and attack or starve as the paths to their descent would be barred.

 At that moment, he heard a loud familiar screech. He quickly looked up in the sky and he could faintly see the outline of Vedros as she flew overhead. The thunderous sound of her wings clapping was reassuring and then Jon spotted another problem.

 “I need to get down there,” he shouted as he moved towards the cage which had just returned to the top. Ser Jorah fell out along with his squire, clutching his armour.

 “Your grace, we -” 

“I know Jorah, we’re under attack from both sides,” Jon said as he moved towards the cage.

 “Your grace, it’s too dangerous to go down there,”

 “We need Vedros to scare off the Wildlings off on the Northern side of the Wall and I can only do that if I’m riding her,” Jon shouted over the noise. Jon knew that if he let Vedros fly freely, she would massacre the vast majority of the Wildling host with ease. He did not want that, the damage and loss of life would be catastrophic.

 This needed to be a precise attack that defeated Mance before the loss of life on both sides became too high

 “Come on!” he shouted towards his knights who quickly joined him in the cage. Robb joined them whilst Lord Stark and Ser Alliser remained at the top to man the Wall. In the cage, they helped him don his armour as quickly as he could. He had to admit that having feeling the magical armour around him felt good. The armour felt light yet he knew it was strong. He drew Darkfyre from its scabbard and watched the Valyrian steel ripple and smoke magnificently in the weak moonlight.

 As the cage neared the bottom, he nodded to Ser Jorah, Ser Loras and Robb who all quickly drew their blades. Robb’s blade was not Valyrian steel, but his brother wore a grim mask of determination. The cage hit the ground with a thud and Ser Loras quickly threw open the gate and led the way, Jon followed close behind and together, they all entered the chaos below.

 The first thing that Jon saw was that the stables in the east were ablaze, black smoke and wisps of burning hay poured upwards into the sky. When the roof collapsed, the flames furiously roared up into the sky. The Wall itself seemed to be melting due to the heat from the flame.The noise was so loud it almost drowned out the sound of the Wildlings who were charging up the Kings Road. Almost.

 100 of them were charging up the Kings Road in tight formation with their shields raised above their head. Others were swarming through the vegetable garden, across the flagstone yard. Some were heading towards the rookery, they were everywhere.

 “With me!” Jon barked as he headed towards the Northern parapet. As he was moving, he saw their men now. They were on the other end of the parapet, ready to mount a counter attack.

 He headed towards the Kings Tower which looked down on the gate, and this was where he saw the closest group of Wildlings. Many wielded bronze azes, some were lucky to have chipped stone. They were screaming in the Old tongue as they stormed the barricade and headed up the stairs towards the Kings Tower.

 Jon took two steps forward before a trapdoor three feet to his left slammed open. Jon instinctively lifted Darkfyre, and quickly buried the blade deep in the skull of the first Wildling to pop his head through. Bronze was no match for the Valyrian steel. Darkfyre sheared right through the helm and deep into his skull. Jon yanked his blade free and then kicked the dead man back down the whole. He spotted a heavy barrel and they quickly rolled it over the top of the hole to lock it.

 Killing the wildling had only taken a few seconds, but in that time the battle had changed again. The Wildlings were clearing through the courtyard, and they were heading straight for the gate and that guarded the tunnel

“The gate. We need to protect the gate!” Jon shouted behind him as he stepped forward. He spotted a group of their men a stretch of wall overlooking the gate.

 “The wolves!” Robb shouted as he pointed at something, Jon followed his fingers and he saw Greywind and Ghost at the edge of the fight, helping a few brothers on the parapet. Then he heard a loud war call as 50 Night’s watch brothers burst down the stairs to join the fight in the courtyard.

 They charged down to protect the gate and they quickly killed the small group of Wildlings in the courtyard but Jon saw more coming towards them

 “We need to get down,” Jon shouted as he spied a staircase that led down. He bounded down them and his feet landed in on the hard snowy ground with a thud. He spotted a wilding to his left, Jon instinctively raised his sword to block the man’s spear, and Ser Loras quickly buried his sword into the man’s shoulder. The wildling screamed out in pain as his blood poured from his ruined shoulder but Jon had moved on, searching for his next target

 He did not have to look for long. Two more wildlings with large savage bronze axes were hurrying towards him, screaming in the old tongue as they did so. Jon waited until the last possible moment before he lifted his sword to parry the strike, the Valyrian steel cracked the bronze leaving the Wildling without a weapon. The wildling looked at Jon’s blade in shock before Jon grunted and then swung for his neck. The blade felt light in his hand as it moved through the cool night air, colliding with the fleshy meat of his neck and slicing through cleanly to the otherside.

 The Wildlings head fell to the floor with a dull thud and Jon quickly turned to survey the battle. Ser Loras and Robb had disarmed the second wildling and Jon watched as Loras cut him at his knees whilst Robb struck him in the stomach. Ser Jorah was right behind him, eyes quickly flickering as he looked for the next threat.

 Ghost and Greywind had taken down a huge man, easily over six foot tall. The pair of direwolves worked flawlessly together. Greywind ripped out his throat after Ghost knocked him to the floor. They were holding the gate it seemed, the reinforcements they had brought from the South were slowly pushing back the wave of wildlings. Overhead, he could faintly hear Vedros flying as she circled, waiting for a time to land.

 Then Jon heard a loud scream as a beast of a man thundered into the courtyard, he was wielding a huge double headed steel axe that was even bigger than Jon himself. Then Jon looked at his face, he was clean shaven and bald. And he had no ears.

 Jon quickly stood up straight, this must be their leader, this must be Mance. He flexed his sword hand as he stepped towards the man. The wildling leader scanned his eyes until they settled on him. Grey eyes stared into grey and then they advanced.

 Their weapons clashed with a loud ringing noise before Jon quickly spun and pivoted to his left behind his back. Jon instinctively jabbed his sword low, aiming for the knee. Jon felt his sword graze against flesh as the man screamed out in pain.

 Jon quickly turned around and ducked underneath a savage swing and then as his opponent over extended himself, he lunged forward and drove his sword up into his stomach. His mouth opened in shock as he looked down at the blade that was currently buried inside of him. Warm blood poured onto his gloved hand before Jon pulled out the sword. The man fell to his knees as he held in his intestines. His grey eyes were glossy and glazed over

 Jon quickly looked around him as he surveyed the battle. They were winning now, the combination of Northmen and Night’s watch were driving back the remaining Wildlings who had seemingly lost morale when their leader fell. Ser Jorah was helping Robb to disarm a wildling man with fiery red hair, it was a good move as they could question any prisoners.

 His eyes moved upwards as he looked for Vedros but he was hit in the chest with an arrow, his Valyrian steel had blocked the strike easily. Jon quickly looked around until he saw an archer on the floor above him with their bow trained right at him

 “Archer!” Jon shouted as he quickly dove out of the way to dodge the shot. He heard the arrow whistle harmlessly to his left. He ran up the stairs and chased after the archer, he easily gained ground on him but at the last moment, the archer turned and drew for his sword.

 He threw a wild strike which Jon parried emphatically; the force he used knocked his attacker’s blade far away from his hand. Then he brought Darkfyre upto his throat and pulled back his hood.

 But Jon was wrong, it was not a man, it was a plain looking woman with fiery red hair.

 “Do you yield?” he asked as he lowered his sword an inch.

 “Aye. I yield,” she said as she eyed his blade with suspicion. Jon watched her warily before he stepped back. Ser Jorah had followed him and he quickly found some rope to tie her hands behind her back.

 “What is your name?” Jon asked

 “Ygritte,”

 “How did you get past the Wall?”

 “We climbed it, didn’t we?” she answered. “Aren’t you going to tell me yours?”

 “My what?”

 “Your name,” she asked and Jon stiffened and stood.

 “My name is Aegon Targaryen, King of Westeros and Lord Protector of the Realm,” he said proudly. “How many men does Mance have in his army?”

 “Oooh, a King,” she said with a chuckle. “Aren’t I lucky?”

 “How many men does he have?” Jon repeated

 “Mance has hundreds of thousands in his army,” she said with a breathy laugh. “You don’t stand a chance,”

 “I killed Mance,” Jon bluntly replied. “The big one with the bald head,” and she laughed once again.

 “You know nothing King Crow that was not Mance. That was Styr, Magnar of Thenns that you killed. Bloody impressive that you got him as well, he was a savage man,”

 “My King is the finest warrior in the realm, your Magnar was no match,” Ser Jorah replied immediately as Jon continued to watch her warily. Up ahead, he could still hear the warhorns blowing that meant that the battle on the other side of the wall must still be raging on.

 “Ser Jorah, is the courtyard secure?”

 “Yes, your grace,”

 “Hand this one over to a Stark soldier and make sure she’s put with the rest of the prisoners. I will speak to them all when I return,” Jon said. Jorah nodded and together they marched her down the stairs and back into the courtyard. The battle was over now and some men had started to work to put out the fires.

 “You should burn the bodies,” she said as they marched her across the courtyard. “Unless you want to use those swords again,”

 “We’re gonna need a fire for that,” Jon replied as he looked up into the sky, he closed his eyes and reached for Vedros in his mind and was pleased when she answered

 “We have one on the other side of the wall,” Ygritte boasted

 “Luckily, that’s exactly where I’m going,” Jon told her as he heard Vedros make her descent.

 “Oh yeah? What are you going to do? Walk through the tunnel and into our army? You’ll get slaughtered,” Ygritte asked

 “I wasn’t planning on walking,”

 “Oh so how were you going to get there?” she asked and then Jon turned to her.

 “I’m going to fly of course,” he said with a crooked smile. Ygritte only had a few moments to give him a confused look before Vedros roared loudly to announce her arrival. She hovered low over the courtyard, her bronze eyes shone brightly in contrast to the rest of her scales which were shrouded in darkness. She opened her jaws to show off the bright green flame bubbling deep inside of her before she snorted and landed outside the ruined gates.

 “What is….what is that?” Ygritte asked in bewilderment. She was not the only one, who looked stunned, nearly all of the men in the courtyard had been staring at his dragon.

 “A dragon, Ygritte,” Jon said smugly as they handed her over to Robb who looked no worse for wear. “Make sure she’s kept in a separate cell and I want you to appoint someone you trust to watch over them.I want none of the brothers doing anything that we may have to punish them for,”

 Robb nodded in understanding and then Jon left. He walked through the ruined gate and then he quickly climbed up Vedros’s wing. Vedros took off impatiently and gained height in quick strong strokes of her long wings. Within a matter of moments, they had scaled the Wall.

 He saw that the Wildlings had crossed over the open land between the edge of the haunted forest and the Wall. Vedros flew up high before she banked steeply and swooped down low. Jon closed his eyes to concentrate and reached for her in his mind, he gently guided her to the right and then he left her free.

 Vedros released a torrent of her beautiful green flame on the ground below them. Jon had deliberately adjusted her flight path so that she only burned the ground next to the wildlings. This was a warning flight, letting the Wildlings know that this was a battle that they could not win.

 Jon turned behind them and he saw the Wildlings quickly running for the trees and the safety of the Haunted Forest. Good.

 Vedros released a loud roar of frustration that carried far across the wilderness.

 “I know, I’m sorry but I promise if they still want to fight, I won’t hold you back,” he said soothingly. Vedros gave another screech before she turned and flew up over the Wall once again.

 It was only a short flight back to Castle Black and Vedros got him there quickly. After she landed, he gave her an affectionate pat on the snout and thankfully Vedros gave him a pur in response, at least she wasn’t too angry with him.

 Then Jon headed back inside. Ghost appeared by his side and he ran his hand through his fur.

 

“Thanks for your help today,” he said as he scratched him behind the ears. 

Lord Stark and Ser Alliser had come down from the Wall and were helping to organise the clean up. They spotted him as he entered as the courtyard.

 “We got them,” Ser Alliser said happily. “As soon as they saw the dragon, the fuckers ran for the forest as fast as they could. We should attack now whilst they’re retreating,”

“No,” Jon said as he shook his head. “We don’t have the men,” he added, thinking back to what Ygritte had told him. “Apparently they have 100,000,”

 “That can’t be true,” the Lord Commander said as he shook his head.

 “Who knows, we will find out more when we question them tomorrow, but now. We need to clean this mess up,” Jon said as he gestured to the state of the courtyard around them. The fires were under control but they still had to clear up the bodies and clear the debris. Jon sighed. It would be a long night.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is called 'Enemies to the East' - I should have it out for you guys in around two weeks time, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less
> 
> Thanks for all the comments on the last chapter, they really mean a lot. Let me know what you think of this one, 
> 
> Thanks for reading  
> Sleepy


	3. Enemies in the East

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bran continues to learn and Jon makes an important decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story
> 
> Sorry for any formatting issues, AO3 is garbage at times

 

_Outside, the night was white as death; pale thin clouds danced attendance on a silver moon, while a thousand stars watched coldly. He could see the humped shapes of other huts buried beneath drifts of snow, and beyond them the pale shadow of a **weirwood armored in ice.** (ADWD, Prologue) _

 

**The Winged Wolf**

 

“We lost control over the White Walkers after we created them. They were too strong, even for us,” Leaf said quietly, the cave felt unnaturally chilly as she spoke

“What happened?” Meera asked. “How did you defeat them?”

“We and the Men had to put our differences aside and work together to defeat our common enemy. We drove the Others to the far North, all the way to the Lands of Always Winter where no man can currently travel to. Then with the help of Brandon the Builder, we created the Wall, to keep them out along with a mutual agreement with the Walkers to prevent their return,”

“The Pact?” Bran asked and Meera nodded

“Yes, a Pact was made when we sent them North. We gave them these lands and forbade them from coming south again,”

“What happened, why did they break the Pact?” Bran asked.

“We don’t know,” Leaf told him. “We think that they want something,”

Bran noticed that she looked towards Lord Brynden as she said this and Bran saw his mentor slowly shake his head.

“We will tell you our theories later, Brandon,” Lord Brynden said with a sigh. “First, we must finish this topic. The origin of the White Walkers,”

“As you saw, we were the ones who created the White Walkers, but we believe that the current White Walkers are not from that line,” Leaf said and Bran shook his head

“What do you mean, not from that line?”

“We believe that somewhere, at some point, the original line of White Walkers was replaced by a new line. With a new leader,” Lord Brynden said.

“How is that possible?” Bran asked in confusion. “I don’t even know how they could make new White Walkers?”

“We will explain that in time,” Bryden said “We believe that the new White Walkers came from a different line,”

“Will you tell me?” Bran quietly asked.

“Yes, but this begins with the story of the Night’s King,”

“The 13th Lord Commander?” Bran answered as he remembered one of Old Nan’s tales. It was a story about a fearless warrior who was elected to the position of the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.

“Yes, that is the man,” Lord Brynden confirmed

“What has he got to do with this?” Bran asked and Lord Brynden looked at him coolly before he replied

“Everything,”

  
  


**The King of Westeros**

 

Jon woke up alone the following morning, he involuntarily stretched out and sighed when he realized that his wife was not there. He missed her warmth and comfort, she would be of a great help to him now. He also dearly missed his children, more than anything in the world.

He remembered when Daeron had taken his first steps and spoken his first words on Dragonstone, he only hoped that he was there when Lyanna performed those things as well. He sighed as he sat up in bed, he had hoped that his trip to the Wall would be a short one, but he had a feeling that he would be here for longer than he anticipated. Firstly, there was the attack on the Wall, and then there was this disturbing talk about the White Walkers.

Jon threw the furs off him and stood up to dress, the sooner that he begun this day, the sooner he could see his family again. His muscles were a little sore from the fighting last night and this caused him to think of Daenerys yet again, he remembered the massages that they used to give each other after their training sessions.

He dressed in warm clothes and picked up his sword, Darkfyre had been cleaned and he sheathed the blade in his scabbard. Once he was dressed, he pulled open his door and stepped outside.

Snow was lightly falling as the damage to the courtyard was still being cleared up. The fires had long since been put out but the stables were ruined and would have to be rebuilt. Jon headed back inside for a pair of gloves, before he made his way down the Kings Tower. Halfway down, he was joined by Ser Loras.

“Good morning, your grace,” the knight said as he fell into stride next to him.

“Morning Ser Loras, how did you sleep?”

“Not too badly, as well as you can after a fight I suppose,” he said as they reached the courtyard. “Ser Jorah is sleeping, we took turns guarding you last night,”

Jon nodded slowly, he spotted Ghost trotting across the courtyard towards him and he reached out a hand to greet his wolf.

“What do you think of this White Walker business?” Jon asked as he stroked his fur, he could feel Ser Loras tense next to him.

“To be honest. I don’t know what to think,” he said slowly. “I’m a knight, my job is to protect you from your enemies,”

“Fine, what do you think of Sam’s story, do you believe him?” Jon asked as he turned to him. He ran a hand through his brown curls as he frowned.

“I’ve seen men when they’re afraid, and whatever he saw beyond the Wall truly frightened him, but the White Walkers? They haven’t been seen for thousands of years,”

“But why would he lie?” Jon asked “He clearly saw something out there, what does he gain from lying?” and to that, he had no answer. Instead, they continued to the small hall where breakfast was cooking. He took a plate of bread, sausages and bacon and sat at the High table with Ser Loras next to him. As they ate, more Night’s Watch brothers trickled into the hall.

They were in good spirits after the battle the night before, Jon watched as they laughed and japed with one another as they ate their breakfast. He watched Sam out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that he ate with a smaller group over to one side. Robb and his father also joined him at the High table and the Lord Commander was the last one into the hall.

He walked in proudly as he greeted his men.

  
“Fantastic work last night!” he called gleefully. “We beat those Wildling fuckers so hard they ran back to their frozen shitholes!”

“Aye!” came the resounding response from the men and the Lord Commander smiled before taking a seat on the High table.

“Lord Commander, are the prisoners awake?” Jon asked and the Lord Commander nodded in response. Jon was finished with his meal and he was eager to begin questioning them. “Robb, Ser Loras, would you like to join me?”

Both men nodded and stood with Jon to leave the high table. They quickly left the hall and headed back outside. As Castle Black was not a proper castle, it did not have a proper dungeon either. As a result, their prisoners were kept in the Ice Cells near the Wall.

“Who do you want to start with?” A Night’s Watch brother asked as they reached the entrance to the cells. Jon paused before he answered.

“Start with the girl,” Jon said and the brother nodded and led them to the left. The tunnels leading to the cells were so chilly that Jon could see his breath on the air in front of him.

Inside, he saw Ygritte, they had stripped her of her weapons and her cloak and she was huddled in a corner of a cell trying to keep warm. Jon looked around, the cell was not very big and he did not want to suffer through the cold for much longer.

“Bring them out. We will question them elsewhere before sending them back down later,” he ordered as he stepped out of the cell. Jon returned to the Kings Tower and waited for the prisoners to be brought before him. Ygritte was brought before him first, and he gestured for her to take a seat across from him.

Did you burn the bodies?” she asked and Jon looked at her curiously before he nodded. Ygritte seemed relieved by this.

“Who are they?” she asked.

“My brother Robb, and one of my Kingsguards, Ser Loras,” Jon told her, she looked like she had something to say but she decided against it.

“What does Mance want?” Jon asked,

“To get across the Wall,”

“Why?” Ygritte eyed him cautiously before she spoke again.

“It’s not safe for us anymore on that side of the Wall,” she said quietly.

“Why? The Wildlings have lived across the Wall for thousands of years, why now?”

“Things are different now,”

“Different, how?” Jon asked and he saw Ygritte shift uncomfortably in her seat. “The White Walkers?”

Ygritte looked up at him fearfully, her blue grey eyes looked panicked.

“Aye,” she said quietly “It’s not safe for us, we’ll all be dead by the middle of winter if we don’t cross the Wall,”

“So that’s what Mance wants? To save you all?” Jon said quietly and Ygritte nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell us that? Instead of attacking us we could have worked something out!” Robb told her but she just laughed and shook her head.

“Worked something out? You crows hate us!” she angrily returned and Jon could understand that. Ser Alliser had been determined to beat the Wildlings, there was no chance that he would let them through the Wall.

“That’s enough for now,” Jon said quietly as he rose to her feet. “Give her something to eat and drink then take her back to her cell,”

“Wait!” she called as he reached the door. “Do you believe me? Will you help us? Please,” she added desperately. Jon looked at her and then he slowly nodded, an idea beginning to form in his head.

“Ygritte, why did you ask if we burned the bodies?” Robb asked

“Because that’s how they do it. That’s how their army grows, they turn the dead and make them fight for their side. That’s why you have to burn the bodies,”

Jon swallowed nervously before he left the room. Once he entered the hallway, he turned to Robb and Ser Loras.

“What do you guys think of what she said?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, I think she is telling the truth,” Robb said quietly as he ran his hands through his hair. “Especially when you recall what Samwell said yesterday, there is definitely something out there,”

“I agree,” Ser Loras added. “What are you going to do, your grace?”

“I need to speak with the other prisoner that we have. Find out how many Wildling, has Mance managed to gather,” Jon began and then he sighed as the size of the task dawned on him

“Then we need to find somewhere to put them,”

“A castle perhaps?” Ser Loras suggested

“Depends how many men they have. What have you all done with the Dreadfort?” Jon asked Robb.

“Nothing, it’s empty,” Robb told him but then he frowned. “The castle itself isn’t that big though,”

“We can worry about that later, first we need to find out how many there are,” Jon said as he led them down the hallway, he stopped outside the second door which was guarded, at that moment he saw Lord Stark and the Lord Commander making their way towards them.

“Let’s question this Wildling scum,” Thorne said gleefully as he walked towards him but Jon held out a hand to stop him.

“I will question him Lord Commander,” Jon told him firmly. Ser Alliser scowled, but clearly knew better than to question him. Jon led the way inside and he saw the Wildling man sat behind the table

“What is your name?” Jon asked

“Tormund,” he replied in a gruff voice “Tormund Giantsbane. You’re the man who killed the Thenns?”

Jon nodded slowly,

“I fucking hated Thenns,” he muttered.

“How many people has Mance gathered?” Jon asked as he took a seat opposite him.

“Why do you want to know? You gonna send your dragon after us?” he asked scornfully but Jon shook his head.

  
“No. I am going to save you, all of you. I know what’s out there, I know why you’re running,” Jon told him and Tormund raised an eyebrow in surprise. “The White Walkers. They’re coming for you, and you’re not safe on that side of the Wall,”

“No,” Tormund said. “They’re coming for **us**. Everyone. They don’t give a shit if you’re a freefolk, or a crow,”

“Then let me help you,” Jon insisted. “Tell me where to find Mance, tell me how many people he has,”

Tormund regarded him slowly, he looked him up and down before he spoke again.

“I can tell you ain’t a crow,” he said quietly “Who are you?”

“I am King Aegon Targaryen, King of Westeros. I rule all of the lands South of the Wall. I can help you, find lands to settle your people on,”

Tormund continued to size him up.

“How do I know that I can trust you?” he asked

“Because you’re still here, breathing. And you know as well as I do that if it was up to someone else, you’d be dead right now,” Jon said to him. He ignored the scathing look giving to him by Thorne as he continued to look at Tormund, who slowly nodded.

“Hardhome,” he said. “That’s where he’ll retreat to. It’s the only place left and it’s not too far for all of the women and children as well,”

“How many people does he have?” Jon asked

“100,000. Maybe a bit more. Giants as well,” Tormund said with a shrug and Jon sighed.

Where was he going to find space for 100,000 people?

“Thank you, Tormund,” Jon said as he stood up.

“Where are you going?” he asked

“To find somewhere to put you all,” Jon replied. “Give him something to eat and drink,” he said as he turned to face the room. Ned was looking at him curiously, whilst Ser Alliser had a scowl on his face. Jon decided to ignore them for now, they would follow him anyway to discuss their next step.

He decided to head to the castle library where he hoped that he would find Maester Aemon, he would need his help. It was starting to snow heavily now as Jon quickly made his way to the library. Inside, he saw Samwell seated at a table reading through some old books,

“Can you find me a map of the lands North of the Wall?” he asked and Sam quickly nodded as he rose to his feet.

“Of course your grace. I’ve also found something else, about the White Walkers, if you’re interested,” he added and Jon nodded.

“Show it to me later today, I have a feeling that I’ll be busy for the next few hours,” Jon said as the door opened behind him, he turned and saw the Lord Commander had indeed followed him. Jon motioned for them to follow, and he headed through the library until he found Maester Aemon.

“Your grace,” he called

“How did you know it was me?”

“I can tell from your steps. You seem troubled,”

“I am. I didn’t want to believe it, but it seems that the White Walkers are real and I don’t know how to beat them. I have 100,000 Wildlings and I have to get them south of the Wall to safety but I have no idea where to put them,”

Maester Aemon chuckled slightly. “My nephew, in the short time that I have known you, you have given me the impression that you are a smart and resourceful young man. I believe that you already know what you need to do,”

Jon nodded slowly.

“It will be controversial; many people will not understand why I have to do this,”“Do you believe that it will help the people?” Maester Aemon asked

“Yes, I believe it will,” Jon answered

“Then do it! Why did the Gods make Kings and Queens, if not to protect those who can’t protect themselves?”

Jon nodded, he was thankful for the encouragement, at that moment. Sam returned with the map and he was followed by the Lord Commander and other high ranking members of the Night’s Watch. Lord Stark, Robb, Ser Loras and Ser Jorah rounded out the men in the room.

Sam had laid out the map of the North on the table and Jon took a moment to study it. The map detailed all the castles along the Wall and the lands North of the Wall all the way up to the Frostfangs. He saw Hardhome over on the eastern side, it did not look too far.

Jon was about to speak, but Ser Alliser opened his mouth first.

  
“I think we should launch a counter attack, chase them all through the Haunted Forest until we catch them all. They are afraid of us and if we beat them now, no King beyond the Wall will ever be a threat to us ever again,”

“No,” Jon said firmly. “We will not be doing that,” he said as he turned to face him.

“Why not? Mance Rayder is still out there, we already know where they are, they’re at Hardhome. We have ships at Eastwatch, we can put some men on the ships to cut off their escape from the sea, whilst the rest of them approach on land,”

“No,” Jon repeated. “We will be going to Hardhome, but not to fight them. We will be saving them,”

“From what? The White Walkers? Don’t tell me you believe that nonsense,”

“What I believe, is that there is something out there. Samwell has seen something, the Wildlings have seen something too and I believe them, there is far too much going on for it simply to be a coincidence,” Jon glared at him as he spoke and Ser Alliser slowly started to shake his head

“No. The Night’s Watch will not stand for this,”

“The Night’s Watch does not have a say. I am the King and it is my job is to protect these people. **All** of our people,”

“The Wildlings are not your people. They do not answer to your laws, they do not pay you any fealty or taxes. Do you expect them to stop raiding and raping just because you ask nicely?”

 

“We can sort that out later. They will follow me if it means their survival,” Jon insisted but Ser Alliser laughed.

“With all due respect your grace, but I think this is foolish, and you are a fool if you believe the Wildlings will kneel to you. They are a bunch of savages and rapists. That is what they were born as, that is what they will always be,”

“Watch your tone, Lord Commander,” Ser Loras said dangerously as he put his hand on the pommel of his sword. “You may be the Lord Commander of this castle, but this is your King. You will treat him with respect,”

The room fell silent after those words and Jon could see the anger on Thorne’s face and for a few moments, Jon wondered if he would be so foolish as to answer back. Thankfully common sense prevailed and he held his tongue.

“Your grace, where do you plan on settling the Wildlings, all 100,000 of them?” Lord Stark asked and Jon sighed

“Those that can fight, can man some of the abandoned castles on the Wall. With the combination of my soldiers, we should be able to have at least half of the castles manned and operational. Those that cannot, will be settled on the Gift. As far as I remember, the majority of the Gift is abandoned, the Wildlings can farm and settle on those lands,”

Lord Stark looked at him before he slowly started to nod. “It will be difficult to convince the Northern Lords of the threat that we face and that will mean it will be difficult for them to understand this decision. However, I support you,”

The Lord Commander was red in the face with rage, but he seemed to know better than to speak rudely again.

“Good. Now, the hardest part is getting them all South of the wall. We only have 10 or so ships at Eastwatch, and that is not enough to carry all 100,000 of them South in one trip. So we will have to put some on the ships, whilst others march back through the Haunted Forest,”

“Why will they follow you? The last they saw of you, you were chasing them down with a dragon,” Ser Alliser said and Jon frowned before he came up with an idea.

“We will take Tormund and Ygritte with us. They will be able to act as envoys and set up a meeting with Mance where I can give him my offer,”

“They could lead us into a trap,” Robb pointed out but Jon shook his head.

“They could, but I will have Ghost with me, Ser Loras and Ser Jorah. Not to mention Vedros will no doubt make her presence known,”“I think we should also bring the Queen in on this,” Ser Jorah suggested and Jon nodded in agreement.

“I agree. I will write to her as soon as we are finished here. Having an extra dragon or two will not hurt our chances,” he added, it would be good to see his wife again. He also thought back to what Ygritte told him,

“Lord Commander, we will need your best rangers from this castle, Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower. I want them to be ready as soon as possible. I’d like to ride to Eastwatch as soon as possible,”

“Sailing to Hardhome will take a few days if the seas are calm,”

“That’s fine, it’ll give Daenerys time to catch up,” Jon said simply. “Get it done Lord Commander, that will be all for now,”

If Thorne was offended by this dismal, he did well to hide it. Jon watched as he bowed, before leaving the room with his officers in his wake. Once he was gone, he turned to the rest of the men in the room

“This mission North of the wall will be incredibly dangerous. Robb, Lord Stark, I don’t want both of you to come North with me. One of you will need to remain behind to prepare the North for the arrival of the Wildlings,” Jon said as he looked at both of them. “Lord Stark, I think you would be better suited to this as you are already know the Northern Lords,”

“As you wish,” he said with a nod.

“Robb, you, Ser Jorah, and Ser Loras will come with me along with Ygritte and Tormund. They know the lands North of the Wall better than us, and we will be relying on them to introduce us to Mance,”

“Your grace, wouldn’t it be safer to fly to Hardhome on dragonback?” Ser Jorah suggested but Jon shook his head.

“Arriving on Dragonback will set them on edge. We want to convince them to come South of the wall to safety, they might not be so willing if I arrive on Dragonback,”

“What if they refuse your initial offer?” Robb asked and Jon paused

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,”

 

**The Queen of Westeros**

 

Dany was seated in a room inside Maegor’s holdfast with Daeron in her lap, she propped the cushions around them, so that she could relax with him. It was the middle of the day, and she was reading to him to help him fall asleep for his midday nap. Dany had learned that Lyanna liked it when she sung to her but Daeron preferred her reading.

She found herself reading the same book that they always read, one that Rhaegar had found on Dragonstone. Daeron would usually fall asleep before she finished but the following night he would always insist that she start the story from the beginning again. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that Daeron was not interested in having a midday nap today. He would usually rest his head on her chest but today he sat up, almost as if he was reading the words on the pages. Dany knew he couldn’t read, but she did wish that he would fall asleep.

Dany sighed and then put the book down

“You don’t want to sleep do you little one?” she asked as she turned him around. Daeron shook his head at her and she gave him a quick kiss. “Fine, run along and play for a while. Mama has to meet some people now,”

“Yes mama,” Daeron said with a smile as she set him on the floor. “Can I play with Aunty Arya?”

“Not now little one. I think Arya is busy,” Dany told him. Arya was busy likely training with Brienne, or talking to Gendry. “Perhaps you can play with your sister and Aunty Sansa?”

Daeron nodded after a moment and Dany stood up to follow him out of the room. Daeron was familiar with Maegor’s holdfast and her little boy walked quickly to the nursery. Inside she saw Lyanna with Sansa and Missandei. Her little baby girl was sat on the floor, giggling happily as she shook her rattle that filled the room with noise.

Lyanna saw them as they walked in, she screamed in excitement before surprising Dany with an eager bout of crawling. She managed to crawl all the way over to Daeron who giggled at her antics.

“Mama! Look! She crawling!” he said excitedly as he bounced on his feet. Lyanna crawled over to him and Daeron got down on his knees next to her, she loved it when her children played together.

“Well done, Lyanna,” Dany cooed as she crouched down to pick her up. Lyanna continued to babble happily in her ear before Dany turned to Sansa. “I guess that she’s not interested in sleeping as well?”

“Not at all, your grace. She’s been full of energy all morning,” Sansa replied

“That’s the same with this little one,” Dany said as she stroked Daeron’s hair. “Can I leave them both with you for the afternoon? I have some things that I need to do,”

Sansa nodded eagerly “Of course, I like spending time with them, they are so sweet and funny,”

Dany smiled before handing over Lyanna to her again. Her daughter did not look too displeased to be spending more time with Sansa as she continued to babble and make noise long after Dany had left the room.

She made her way through the Red Keep and down towards the main courtyard. Tyrion and Ser Barristan had said they had two more potential candidates for the Kingsguard, and Dany was going to see them practice.

There was a light snow covering the ground so Dany stood up on the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Rhaegar and Tyrion were also watching. Down below, she saw the two potential recruits in the yard sparring. They faced off with Ser Jaime whilst Ser Barristan watched with a grim expression on his face.

The sound of steel hitting steel filled the air as two men clashed ferociously in the yard. The smaller man moved nimbly on his feet to dodge and twist out of the way of the larger ones attacks.

“How is it going?” she asked,

“They have been sparring for the better part of an hour it seems,” Tyrion told her.

“They’re both very skilled,” Rhaegar added. “Although that is to be expected from knights of this quality. Ser Lyn is the better rider, but never underestimate Clegane’s strength,”

“Of course, he’s not as strong as his brother, although he’s not a brutish monster either,” Tyrion added

“He also doesn’t seem to be interested in becoming a knight it seems,” Rhaegar told her.

“Then why is he here?” Dany asked curiously

“Sandor Clegane is the younger brother of Gregor Clegane, who was known as the Mountain that rides before our King put a stop to him. Sandor was given the nickname ‘The Hound’ and every hound needs a master,” Tyrion answered.

“Did he say that?” Dany asked as she looked at him

“Well, no not exactly,”

“Then how do you know?”

“I used my intuition,” Tyrion said proudly.

“Wasn’t he the sworn shield for Prince Joffrey?” Rhaegar asked and Tyrion nodded.

“He was until the council that you called. He must have seen your dragons, realized that protecting the old regime was futile and left,”

“A deserter? Hardly a glowing recommendation,” Rhaegar said.

“True, although you can make the argument that both Ser Barristan and Ser Jaime deserted their post as well,”

Dany acknowledged this with a nod of her head.

“What are your opinions of them?”

“Ser Lyn Corbray is a talented knight from the Vale as you already know. I think that if you were to appoint him to the Kingsguard, you would gain more support in the Vale. It would also continue our trend of having a knight from each of the main regions,”

“Is that why you suggested Sandor Clegane?” Dany asked as she caught onto his meaning

“No, but it is a side benefit,” Tyrion said with a hint of a smile. Dany noticed that they stopped sparring and Ser Barristan was making his way towards them. Jaime headed over to his squire, a young boy from the Riverlands, to hand over his training sword and armor.

“Your grace,” her Lord Commander said with a bow. “Both men are exceptional fighters as you would expect. You will be well protected with both of these men in your guard,”

“Would you be happy with these men serving alongside you?” she asked. Ser Barristan paused and frowned for a moment before speaking again.

“Yes, although I think it may be wise to wait for the King so he can weigh in,”

“Or course, I wouldn’t make this decision without him,” Dany replied. “Jon should be back within the month and I will give him an opportunity to meet them and form his own opinion. Until then, see that they have residence inside the city,”

Ser Barristan nodded before heading back to the courtyard to pass on her instructions.

“Your grace, there is something else I wish to speak to you about,” Tyrion said

“Go ahead,”

“The rate of crime in the city seems to be increasing over the past few weeks. I’ve been monitoring it, I believe more men would help,”

Dany frowned at this, ever since their reign began, the rate of crime had been low in the city, much lower than both Tyrion and Rhaegar could remember.

“Have you noticed any patterns in the crimes?” Dany asked

“Not really. However, I’ve noticed that there has been an increase in fights and vandalism in the taverns around the port,”

“Probably sailors wanting to get drunk after a long voyage,” Rhaegar commented

“Most likely,” Dany added in agreement. “Although you have my permission to recruit more men to the City Watch. Hopefully that helps,” Dany said. Tyrion nodded, before he too left the balcony.

“Sister, can I talk to you for a moment?” he asked and Dany could see the concern on his face.

“Of course, what is it?”

“It’s about what I told you about the White Walkers,” Rhaegar began. “There’s more, you need to know,”

Dany’s stomach dropped, just when she thought she was free of this nonsense.

“Tell me,” she said quietly.

“I learned about the White Walkers many years ago, when I was only a young boy. I read about them in an old scroll somewhere in the library of the Red Keep. I learned everything about them that I could. Maester Marwyn was a help, as was Maester Aemon who I shared my findings with,”

“Many years ago, before I was even born, a woods witch came to court and gave our grandfather, King Jaehaerys a prophecy. The witch said that ‘The Prince That Was Promised’ would be born from our parents line, and because of what she said, King Jaehaerys II forced our parents to wed,”

“Rhaegar, slow down. Why would our grandfather listen to a witch?”

 

Rhaegar only shrugged. “I don’t know,”

“Who is the Prince That Was Promised? What’s so special about him?”

“The Prince That Was Promised is a prophesied warrior who will deliver the world from the darkness. He is said to have a song, the song of Ice and Fire. I must admit, during my early life I believed that I was the Promised Prince, but later realized that I was wrong, then I thought it was my first son, but it seems that I was wrong again,”

“So who do you now think is this Prince?” Dany asked and she saw Rhaegar sigh before he shrugged his shoulders

“I think….I think that it could be you. You or Jon, maybe both,”

“Me? Brother, I am not a Prince,”

“I know but all the years, I’ve had it wrong. It is an old Valyrian word that has no gender. It means Prince or Princess,” Rhaegar answered eagerly.

“Brother, what exactly are you saying?”

“I am saying that perhaps, you and Jon are the prophesized warriors, perhaps you both will protect us from the White Walkers and the threat that they pose,”

Dany stared into his lilac eyes and she swallowed nervously before she spoke again.

“So you believe the Red Witch? You believe that the White Walkers are really out there?” she tentatively asked and Rhaegar gave a grim nod.

“Truthfully, ever since my defeat on the Trident, I had forgotten about them. I had been so consumed with my grief and my mission to find you and unite my family again that all thoughts of the White Walkers left my mind but yes, I do believe they are out there,”

Dany bit her lip in nervousness.

“So what do you want me to do? What do you want us to do?” she asked,

“Start taking the Night’s Watch more seriously. Send more men to the Wall,”

“Which men? Our Unsullied? Our Dothraki? How long do I send them for Rhaegar? We don’t know _when_ the White Walkers are going to come, we don’t know _what_ they want. We don’t know _anything_ about them! You can’t ask me to do all of this when I know nothing about them!”

“I know that this is a priority,” Rhaegar said calmly. “I know this is a lot, but this is serious. I’ve already begun to help the Night’s watch, I’ve ordered ships carrying Dragonglass to sail North to Eastwatch by the sea where they can be turned into weapons that defeat them,”

“So we need special weapons to kill them?” she asked and Rhaegar nodded.

“What is dragonglass and why is it so special?”

“It doesn’t matter, we have an abundance of it under Dragonstone,” Rhaegar said with a wave of his hand. Dany sighed before turning to look out over the courtyard. She didn’t want to believe it, but if Rhaegar did, then she would have to trust him.

“Dany, we need all of Westeros to be united to face this threat. Send letters to all of the houses and ask them to send men to the wall, you are the Queen,” he urged but she shook her head.

“I can’t. From what I have learned, the only region in Westeros that takes the Watch remotely seriously is the North. The Dornish Lords most certainly won’t send any men, they’d think it’s some sort of trick. I suppose that I could ask the Reach Lords, but the roads are bad enough as it is. It would take them months to march all the way to the Wall. How many men do you expect to leave their homes in the middle of Winter to fight the _White Walkers_? And this is all on the assumption that they believe in the threat and not consider my commands to be a symptom of the Targaryen madness.”

“You can force them. I am sure they’ve all heard of the power of our dragons, they would not ignore an order from their Queen,”

“Rhaegar, I’m trying to be reasonable here. You want me to ask thousands of men to leave their homes in the middle of Winter to fight something they don’t even believe in. They’d think we are mad,”

“Every man will help,” he said simply.

“I know,” Dany said with a sigh. “I will send the Unsullied North with a raven to Jon. There is a garrison on Dragonstone that should already be preparing to head North, I will send them North to Eastwatch. The Wall will also need food, so I will speak to Lord Redwyne to send a few shipments of food and supplies North to help sustain the men,”

Dany noticed that it was starting to snow again and then she noticed another problem.

“We will also need to do something about the cold. Cloaks will need to be prepared and made for the Unsullied, they are not going to be used to such harsh climates. For that, we will need fur, and a lot of it. I will not have our soldiers freezing to death,”

“I understand. It will be difficult to find the amount that we need. Perhaps one of the dragon cities can sell us what we need. I will see that it is done, I assure you of that,” he said eagerly

“Very well. I will give the order for that Garrison to sail North, the rest of the men will follow behind in due time,” Dany said. Rhaegar nodded and turned to leave but before he left her sight, she called to him again

“Rhaegar, I hope you’re wrong. I really do,” she said quietly and her brother gave her a grim smile

“So do I sweet sister, so do I,”

 

**The Sands of Dorne**

 

The weather in Volantis was hot and humid as Obara Sand made her way through the cobbled city streets. Despite it being cloudy, and it being winter back home in Westeros, Obara and her sisters were wearing light Essosi dresses.

Tyene was to her left as Nymeria walked to her right. Tyene, in her lovely blue dress, attracted the attention of several men as they bounced through the streets. Nymeria’s weapons were concealed within her clothes, hopefully they would not need them as they made their way to the meeting.

“Volantis is such a beautiful city,” Nym said as they walked through the streets.

“Such a shame that they burned it,” Obara bitterly replied. Over to the North, they could see the charred remains of Black Wall, the one burned down by the Targaryens.

“Fuck the Targaryens,” Nymeria said and Obara slapped her across the face.

“Careful. This is their city we are in, watch your tongue,” Obara reminded her. “Come on, let’s hurry, we’re nearly there,”

Their meeting would take place in a tavern near the waterfront around fishmongers square. As it was evening time, the majority of the market stalls were empty, all the men were in the taverns.

“The message said that the inn opposite the ship named ‘The Elephant’ which is that red one right there,” Obara said calmly, then her eyes went opposite the ship to a busy inn opposite. Then she led them inside.

This inn was surprisingly quiet, with only a few patrons inside. She gave Tyene a few coins to buy them all drinks. Whilst she did that, Obara scanned the room. None of the patrons paid them any attention.

 

“Where is he?” Nymeria demanded. “How do we know this is the right place?”

 

“He will get here,” Tyene said patiently as she sipped her drink “Then we will have our vengeance,”

Obara nodded. Vengeance for their father who was butchered, and revenge for Arianne, who they held hostage in that cursed city. They had not seen their cousin in years and they missed her, they needed to bring her home.

To make matters worse, Doran had bent the knee like a coward and accepted the punishment laid out by the dragons. He was not fit the rule Dorne, no, a real Dornishman would ever submit to those terms and hand over his daughter like that.

“He’s here,” Nymeria said and Obara turned to see a man approach. He was a stout man wearing rough patched robes. His black hair was greasy and untidy as it covered his face. He took the final seat at the table

“Lord Varys?” Tyene asked tentatively and the man gave a small, almost imperceptible nod of the head.

“Ladies,” he said in a thin waspy voice. “We may not have much time. These streets are not friendly, even for me,”

“Can you help us? With our mission?” Obara asked and Varys nodded.

“There are those in Essos who are less than pleased with the new regime. People who have lost out during the change in power. I have been speaking to them covertly, gathering information, making a network of my own,”

“What do you need from us?” Nymeria asked. “How can we avenge our father?”

“Dorne,” Varys replied simply. “Find our allies in Dorne and use them to take power. We do not have the men to defeat them in war, not with their dragons,”

“Then what is your plan?” Nymeria asked sceptically

“We will need to distract them, draw their attentions to different parts of Westeros, spread their forces thin and then we strike,”

“What? How?” Obara asked

“We strike at Kings Landing and we take what they hold dearest. That, my ladies, is how we get our revenge,”

“How do we know that we can trust you?” Obara asked. She was not as trusting as her sisters. “What do you want?”

Varys looked at her then and his face grew hard as his tone changed.

  
“I was born with nothing. No name, no family, nothing. Everything that I had, I earned. I stole, I begged, I even sold my own body to get by. Eventually I settled on thievery, and I was an excellent thief, the best in Myr, or I was until I was forced to flee to Pentos. Pentos is where I met one of the only few people that I could call my friend. Magister Illyrio Mopatis. Illyrio and his wife were the closest thing to family that I had. After his wife’s death, Illyrio and I devoted our lives to fulfilling her last wish and the bright future of Illyrio’s only son.  Do you know where Magister Illyrio and his son are today?” Varys asked, his eyes flickering dangerously. Obara shook her head, but from his tone, she could tell that Illyrio was dead.

“Dead. Burnt alive in his own home by the dragons while his son was turned to ash on the battlefield. They killed him and his son, and once again, I was left with nothing. So I will return the favour. I will teach the Targaryens what it feels like to lose those they love, I will take it all,”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is called 'Kings Beyond the Wall' and I should have it out for you in the next 2-3 weeks. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this one, comments are always appreciated
> 
> Thanks for reading  
> Sleepy


	4. Kings Beyond the Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll come back and fix the formatting errors later
> 
> Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story

Outside, the **night** was **white as death** ;  **pale thin clouds danced** attendance on a silver moon, while  **a thousand stars watched coldly. - ADWD Prologue**

  
  
  


**The Winged Wolf**

  
  


“The 13th Lord Commander lived  during the  Age of Heroes , not long after the  W all itself was completed,” Brynden told him. “He fell in love with a woman  whose skin  was  as white as snow and eyes  that were  blue as the moon,”

 

“A White Walker?” Bran  guessed and they both nodded  in understanding . 

 

“He gave her his soul  along with  his seed and  then he brought her back to the Nightfort, where he ruled as King with her as his Queen. During his reign of terror, horrific atrocities were committed; crimes so horrible that you will not be able to sleep tonight should you hear  of  them. It was only thanks to Brandon the Breaker, the King of Winter, and Joramun, the King  B eyond the Wall, that  the  Night’s King was defeated and the  W atch was freed  from his rule ,”

 

“What happened  after that?  What happened to the Queen?”

 

“After the battle was won, it was up to Joramun and Brandon to try and fix the mess that was created. The Night’s Queen, was taken south, where she was trapped in a powerful underground prison, with magical wards to keep her at bay. Joramun returned North where he kept watch to ensure  that the surviving Walkers did not attempt to rescue their Queen . The Other s never once returned South from the lands of Always Winter, not until now,”

 

“But I don’t understand,” Bran said. “If they have been dormant for so many  centuries , why have they come back now? What has changed?”

 

He looked at both Leaf and Lord Brynden, and eventually it was his mentor that  answered ,

 

“Somethings have changed in the past 20 or so years. The balance in the world is changing, some magic grows stronger, other types of magic, weaker,” 

 

“The magical wards are losing their power ,  Bran,” Leaf told him. “And the Others want their Queen,”

  
  
  
  


**The Sands of Dorne**

  
  


Obara and her sisters were below deck aboard the  _ Blushing Maiden _ a merchant ship out of Volantis that was bound for Sunspear. They had left at dawn  of the following morning after their meeting with Varys, eager to begin their mission. 

 

“So how do we do it?” Tyene asked in their cabin. She was sat on the bed whilst Obara sat by the desk. Nymeria was  lying on the bed. “How do we  _ take  _ Dorne ? ,”

 

“We convince  U ncle Doran,” Nymeria replied in a bored tone

 

“We all know that won’t happen,” Tyene quickly replied. “We know how he is, he moves as slow as his wheelchair takes him. He’s old, docile even, he has already bent the knee and submitted to the dragons. He is content to let our father  remain unavenged,” 

 

“Still. We should speak with him, give him a chance first,” Nymeria insisted as she looked up at the ceiling.

 

“Before what?” Tyene asked and Obara sighed

 

“War , of course,” Obara replied as she turned towards her. “If he does not want to join us, then what use does he have? He is not to fit to rule Dorne, we have agreed on that already, so we will have to replace him with someone that will  or atleast someone that we can control ,” 

 

“Like who?” Tyene asked. “Tystane? Quentyn? We can’t just get rid of him and let someone we don’t trust take over,”

 

“It would have to be Trystane,” Obara said after a pause. 

 

“Why not Quentyn? He’s meek and timid, really his father’s son in that regard,” Nymeria said dismissively 

 

“You underestimate him,” Obara said “Trystane is young, easy to mould and got along well with our father. Father taught him some fighting moves. If either of them  is eager to avenge him, it will be Trystane,”

 

“Quentyn will not take kindly to being passed over,” Nymeria said. 

 

“Then we will send him away, before we left Dorne he was heading to Yronwood near the Boneway, hopefully by the time we return, he will still be gone,” Obara replied

 

“What if he’s not?” Nymeria asked

 

“Then we will have to make sure he’s indisposed. Get him drunk or something,” Obara answered. She folded her arms across her chest. “We need to be careful here. If we talk to Trystane and he tells his father, then it’s over for us,”

 

“Then let’s tell him after. If he knows we are behind it, then he will be less likely to trust us,” Nymeria suggested and both of her sisters nodded. 

 

“Good. First we speak to Doran to see if he supports us, if he does, good. If he doesn’t we move to remove him. Whilst we do that, we make sure Trystane is occupied, he can’t suspect it’s us,”

 

“Now all we have to do is figure out a plan to kill him,” Nymeria said as she looked at Tyene, who had a smile on her face. 

 

“I’ll see what I can do,” 

 

“We also need a plan for Lord Varys,” Nymeria said after a few moments. “He and his friend Illyrio , both of them schemed  together, they created this false Prince that our father fought for  and died for ultimately. He is as guilty as the Dragons ,”

 

“I know,” Obara said as she folded her arms across her chest. “I do not forget his part in this, but for now. We need him,”

 

“And what happens when we don’t?” Tyene asked

  
“We expose this truth and put him on trial where he will die for his actions,” Obara said. “And with his death, our father will finally be avenged,” 

  
  
  
  


**The Queen of Westeros**

  
  


Daenerys was in the Godswood of the Red Keep. It was around an acre of land, with elm and alder and black cottonwood trees that overlooked the Blackwater rush. The heartree there was a great oak, its ancient limbs overgrown with smokeberry vines. Even though it lacked a proper heart tree, she knew  that  Jon liked to come here to think. It was the one part of the castle where she felt closest to her husband. 

 

She had received his letter saying that he had arrived at Winterfell and that he was heading to the  W all, but she had not received anything since. She missed him, as did  their children. Lyanna was inside with Rhaegar, whilst Daeron was here with her and Arya in the Godswood. 

 

Daeron was on the back of Nymeria as the wolf slowly trudged through the Godswood, every now and again, she would hear his happy laughs as they went along.

 

“This isn’t the first time  that  he’s ridden Nymeria , is it?” Dany asked as the pair made another round. Daeron gave her a toothy smile as he held onto the wolf.

 

“No your grace, it isn’t,” Arya replied. And she quickly continued. “I’ve made sure to watch them at all times and Nymeria would not let anything happen to him, neither would I,”   
  


“I know. You’re a great Aunty and he loves you a lot. I know you would keep him safe,” Dany reassured her. “I do wish  that  Jon would come home though,”   
  


“I’m sure  that  he’s fine, he’ll sort out whatever mess is happening at the  W all and then he’ll fly back,” 

 

Dany’s mind turned to thoughts of the White Walkers. Over the past few days, she had given orders to the Unsullied and they were now preparing to head North. The first ship had already left Dragonstone and in the following weeks, more would follow.

 

“I have a feeling  that the mess is bigger than Jon anticipated,” Dany said quietly

 

“What do you mean by that?” Arya asked as she turned towards her and Dany sighed. She bit her lip before she decided to tell her about the White Walkers. Arya listened patiently without saying a word throughout her explanation.

 

“I hope  that  you’re wrong,” Arya said after a moment. “I hope  that  Jon comes back from the Wall and he tells us he hasn’t heard anything about the White Walkers,” 

 

“Rhaegar thinks it’s true,” Dany answered 

 

“I know, but do you really want this to be true?”

 

“Of course not, but we have to face reality and prepare ourselves. This is an enemy that we have never faced before and we can’t be caught unprepared,”

 

“That’s true. Is that why the Unsullied are leaving the city?” 

 

“Yes. They’re heading to Dragonstone and then off to the Wall. We plan to start manning more of the castles there,” 

 

“That’s a good step,” Arya answered, “But what happens if the White Walkers never come?”

 

“Then we put this behind us and  we would be thankful that we  were  wrong,” Dany  replied firmly . At that moment, Daeron rounded the corner again and stopped in front of them. He was breathless and he was waving a stick in his hand.

 

“Are you hungry?” she asked and he nodded eagerly. “ Fine , let’s go and find your sister and have your lunch,”   
  


“Can Arya come?” he asked as he looked at her hopefully.

 

“Not now, I’m going to go train,” Arya said and Daeron’s face fell. “But I will join you for dinner. Is that  fine ?”

 

Daeron smiled before nodding vigorously. 

 

“Goodbye Arya, train well,” Dany said as she picked up Daeron.

 

“You should join me one day,” Arya commented and Dany hummed.

 

“Years ago, Jon did teach me some basics, but I haven’t practiced a lot recently to be honest, I have been very busy. Perhaps in the future we can practice,” Dany said and Arya smiled before heading off on her own.

 

As they walked through the castle, Daeron asked her a question

 

“Mama ,  where Papa?” 

 

“He’s in the North ,  Daeron. Remember he went on a trip,”

 

“When he coming back?”

 

“I don’t know sweetling, but I know he will be back before your nameday,”

 

“Nameday?” he asked in confusion. “What that?”   
  


“That is the day you were born, you’re going to be 3 years old,” Dany told him. Unsurprisingly, Daeron still looked a little confused. “I’m going to plan you a party, we’re going to play some games, and we’re going to have a lot of fun,” 

 

At the sound of the word ‘games’ Daeron smiled and began to nod his head eagerly. She smiled and gave him a kiss as they entered the small hall where lunch would be served. Inside, they found that Rhaegar and Lyanna were already inside waiting. Daeron squirmed out of her arms and then ran over to his grandfather. 

 

“I’m going to have a party!” he told him and Rhaegar smiled at him

 

“Can I come to your party?” he asked and Daeron nodded.

 

“Yes and Lya and Papa and Mama and Aunty Arya and Aunty Sansa,” Daeron said happily. 

 

“What about Ghost and Nymeria? Can they come?” Rhaegar asked and Daeron nodded again. Dany smiled before she spoke to him

 

“Sit down Daeron, it’s time for lunch,” 

 

Lunch that day was venison stew. Dany kept a watchful eye on Daeron, but surprisingly, he managed to eat without needing her help. He seemed to enjoy breaking the bread and soaking it in his stew more than using the spoon but Dany didn’t mind. 

 

The real troublemaker was little Lyanna who seemed determined to fight Rhaegar for the spoon at every opportunity  that she got, she even managed to spill some food on  herself. Rhaegar was very patient as he laughed at her behaviour and eventually Lyanna settled down and let him feed her. 

 

Over the past few weeks, Dany had noticed that Rhaegar had been acting differently. He was much quieter than usual. It was only when he was spending time with Lyanna that he seemed  like his normal self again. Perhaps, her daughter reminded him of her namesake and that was the reason behind it.

 

“I spent a few days travelling around the harbour area and I found a merchant from Pentos who is able to supply us with fur to make cloaks for the Unsullied. It won’t be cheap, but we managed to agree on a price,” Rhaegar said

 

“That’s good. How soon will we get them?” Dany asked

 

“He left for Pentos this morning. I told him to send the coats that they  make straight to White Harbour and Eastwatch, I gave him a royal decree. I also sent a raven to those castles telling them that they should expect these items in the coming months,”

 

Dany smiled and nodded.

 

“Fantastic work Rhaegar. I’ve given orders for the Unsullied to head North as well,” Dany  informed him and he smiled in thanks. At that moment, the door to the small hall opened and Tyrion and Ser Barristan walked in, with grave looks on their faces. 

 

“What is it?” she immediately asked as her mind turned to Jon. She feared the worst, 

 

“We have received a raven from Castle Black,” Tyrion said as he handed her a scroll. Dany immediately grabbed it and tore it open, fearing the worst. Her eyes quickly read over the words and she quickly rose to her feet.

 

“What is it Dany?” Rhaegar asked

 

“Jon. He’s going North of the  W all, and he needs our help,” she said. “Tyrion find Arya, Sansa and as many as my handmaidens as you can find. Ser Barristan find the rest of your brothers. Both of you meet me in the main courtyard as soon as you can,”

 

Both men nodded and then quickly left the room and Dany gave the letter to Rhaegar who quickly read it. 

 

“Dany, the White Walkers, he could be heading into danger,” Rhaegar whispered as the colour drained from his face. “We have to go,”   
  


“I know,” Dany replied as she paced around the room

 

“Mama. What’s the matter?” Daeron asked from his chair. Dany looked at his innocent face and bit her lip, she hated lying to him, but she didn’t have a choice. 

 

“Mama has to go and help Papa now. I’m going to go away for a while,”

 

“ Mama. Can I come?” he asked and Dany shook her head. 

 

“Not this time Daeron. You’re going to stay here with Aunty Sansa, Aunty Arya and Missandei.  All right ?”

 

Daeron contemplated that for a moment before he nodded. Dany knew that she wouldn’t be  in the North for long , she just had to speak to Jon and get him south of the  W all to safety. 

 

“Come on now Daeron, I have to go and get ready,” she said. Daeron scooted off his chair onto the floor and Dany took Lyanna from Rhaegar and headed towards her chambers. She put both of her children on the bed, before starting to quickly dress for the North. 

 

She went through her wardrobe and found the white fur coat that was made for her during her trip to Winterfell. She put it on, along with warm riding leathers. It was not much, but it would keep her warm during the flight North. At the last moment, she remembered her gloves. 

 

After dressing, she carried her children through the castle and out to the main courtyard where everyone was already waiting for them. 

 

“Thank you for joining me,” she said as she adressed them all. “Rhaegar and I are heading North to help Jon, the situation is more severe than we expected. Whilst we are gone, I am placing not just the city, but my children in your hands. I trust that you will guard them, protect them and comfort  them to the best of your ability whilst we are gone,”

 

She looked at the knights of the  Kingsguard as she said this and they all gave her nods of understanding. 

 

“We will be back as soon as we can,” Rhaegar said

 

“Your grace, perhaps you should take an extra guard to accompany you,” Ser Barristan suggested but Dany shook her head

 

“No. We will have the dragons with us, and Ser Jorah and Ser Loras are already with Jon. The extra guards will stay here to protect my children,” she said firmly and Ser Barristan nodded. 

 

“Tyrion, as our Hand, you will be ruling in our stead,” she told him and he nodded  in response . Then Dany turned to Sansa, Arya and Missandei.

 

“Take care of the little ones, I know they feel most comfortable with you,” she said and all three women eagerly nodded. She placed a kiss on Lyanna’s forehead before handing her over to Sansa. Then she turned to Daeron ,

 

“And you little one, make sure and behave yourself and look after your sister,” she said as she crouched down. Daeron nodded and then Dany gave him a kiss. “I love you Daeron,” 

 

“Love you too Mama,” Daeron answered. 

 

“Can I have a kiss?” she asked and Daeron smiled before giving her one.  Dany smiled and stood up  she ran her hands through his soft silvery blond hair before he ran off . Daeron had gone over to Arya whilst Rhaegar stepped forward to say his goodbyes to his grandchildren. She closed her eyes and reached for her dragon and Anogar quickly answered.

 

By the time she opened her eyes again, he was swooping low over the courtyard, ready and waiting to land. In the distance, she could see Caraxes slowly making his arrival.

 

Anogar landed as gracefully as he could in the small space and Dany quickly climbed aboard. She took one last look at her children, gave them a final wave goodbye before taking off into the cool winter air to chase after her husband. 

  
  
  


**The Dragon’s Hand**

  
  


Tyrion Lannister sat in his office as he contemplated the current state of affairs. The Kingdoms were largely in order and there were no pressing concerns. Earlier this morning ,  he had finished off a letter to Prince Doran. Doran had wanted permission to start exporting their peppers and spices to Volantis and even as far as Meereen. Tyrion had replied that he should hold off on that venture for the time being. It would be better if they established trade partners in Westeros first before expanding to Essos.

 

His plan to have Ser Lyn Corbray and the Hound enlist as the newest members of the  Kingsguard seemed to be going well. They would be staying in the Red Keep to help Ser Barristan whilst the monarchs were away.

 

Tyrion sighed as he took a sip of his wine. Daenerys and Rhaegar had informed them of their suspicions about the White Walkers. Tyrion had been  skeptical at first, but he had realised that he had seen Dragons and Direwolves, and if those magical creatures existed, then so could the White Walkers.

 

He worried about the two young monarchs, they knew little about the White Walkers and Tyrion prayed to the Gods that they would return south again as a family. For the first time in his memory, the realm was prospering, and it was thanks to these new rulers. 

 

The Queen had said  that  she intended for the trip North to be a quick one and Tyrion was inclined to believe her. The sooner she was back, the more relieved he would feel. He had neglected to warn her about the  political dangers of travelling so far North. They had enemies at the  W all, a certain Jon Connington would be none to happy to see them.

 

Realising that he needed to distract himself for a few hours, he went back to his desk to look through the stack of papers that  had been piling up. He ignored the letters from the  H igh  S epton and shifted through them until his eyes settled on something that  piqued his interest.

 

The commander of the  City Watch , Ser William Moonton, had written him a report about the fights that had occured throughout the city. He said that there were over 50 men involved in separate incidents over the past week. He said that he had taken  these men into custody where he had questioned them further. 

 

As a footnote, he added that he had noticed that the city was filling up quickly. Several of the innkeepers had said that they had received more customers than usual over the past few weeks. It was not a problem as of yet, but it was something that he would do his best to monitor. 

 

Tyrion paused as he considered the words, a greater influx of people into the city was unusual but not a cause for concern. However, he was intrigued as to  _ where _ these people came from. He was not worried about the city becoming overcrowded, they had plenty of space.

 

Realising that this was as good as reason as any to leave the castle, he grabbed a cloak and then left his chambers. He found his squire, Podrik Payne, waiting for him in the antechamber.

 

“My Lord,” he said with a bow.

 

“Ah Podrik, just the man I was looking for,” Tyrion said “Head down to the stables and saddle a set of horses, I fancy a ride around the city this afternoon,” 

 

Podrik smiled and nodded before heading off to the stables. Tyrion then decided to pass by the nursery before meeting Podrick, he would check in with the royal children and the Stark girls before leaving. 

 

The journey from the Tower of the Hand to Maegor’s holdfast was a quick one. He entered the children’s nursery and saw both children on the floor sitting and listening as Ser Davos  regalled them with a story. Both children were enthralled with his tale, it was rare that little Lyanna was quiet and so Tyrion decided to leave them to it. 

 

After leaving the nursery, he headed to the stable where he found Pod ready and waiting with two horses. Tyrion quickly climbed  onto one, whilst Podrick took the other, and then together they left the courtyard of the  R ed  K eep. Two stone dragon statues had been erected and they flanked the main gates of the castle.

 

“Where are we headed my Lord?”  Podrick asked as they descended Aegon’s high hill. It was a chilly day, but there was still a small amount of people out on the streets conducting their business. 

 

“We’re heading for a ride around the docks,”

 

“What are we looking for?” he asked and Tyrion shrugged

 

“I’m not sure, we’re just looking to see what we can find,” Tyrion said lightly as they made their way down the cobbled streets. He waved to the people who waved back in return. They passed the street of seeds and reeking lane as they made their way to the port.

 

The harbour was  crammed with people. Some fishermen were closing up their stalls whilst others ran about trying to secure the final few sales of the day. They rode around for a few moments and Tyrion took this time to observe the people, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. 

 

Instead, he decided to change his approach. He led them away from the  quays and onto one of the neighbouring streets. There  were several taverns and inns on this street, frequently used by those who worked on the ships or in the harbour. The villas and apartment for the richer merchants were in another part of the city, these areas would frequently be visited by the type of people  that Tyrion  was looking for.

 

He urged his horse towards a familiar tavern and inn. He left his horse tethered outside, and then motioned for Podrik to follow him. The inside of the tavern was relatively quiet, as many people were still working. He saw the innkeep, a woman named Maggy, sweeping the floor. 

 

“Maggy,” Tyrion called  out as he stepped inside and the woman stopped and smiled.

 

“Lord Hand, I haven’t seen you in months,” she said as she pushed her brown hair out of her the way.

 

“I’ve been a bit busy. I have a lot of duties  to attend to as Hand ,”

 

“I can imagine. What brings you by today?” she asked as she offered him a seat. 

 

“I was investigating something and I was wondering if you could help,” Tyrion said as he sat down. Maggy nodded and then he spoke again. “The commander of the  C ity  W atch has told me that there have been a lot of fights occurring in this part of the city over the past few weeks. I was wondering if you’ve seen anything  suspicious ,”

 

Maggy nodded. 

 

“There were a few fights just outside on the street, nothing too unusual though. Just a bunch of drunk fools,”

 

“What about in here? How are you finding things?”

 

“We’ve been a bit busier as of late but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m grateful for the extra coin,”

 

“Any new  patrons ?” Tyrion asked

 

“ A few more from Essos than usual, men from Volantis, Pentos, the occasional Bravosi. I had a few rowdy ones last night that we had to throw out,”

  
“Why? What were they doing?” 

 

“Being unnecessarily loud and rude, not to mention I had a feeling they were trying to goad people into fighting them,” Maggy said with a shake of her head. Tyrion paused, that was an interesting twist. 

 

“Are you sure  that  they were Essosi?” Tyrion asked and she nodded.

 

“Definitely, I could tell they weren’t from around here. They spoke all funny,”

 

Tyrion nodded, as his mind considered the possibilities. “Thanks Maggy,” he said as he stood up. He passed her a few golden coins before leaving the tavern with pod

 

“So Pod, what do you think?” Tyrion asked as they saddled their horses once again. 

 

“I’m not sure. It just seems like men getting drunk and not knowing how to behave themselves, hardly something for you to worry yourself about,” he answered with a scratch of his chin.

 

“That’s what I thought initially, but something she said intrigued me. She said that some of the men were looking for a fight. I found that unusual,”   
  


“How so?” 

 

“These men spent weeks sailing on boats, all the way from as far as Volantis to land in Westeros. Why would they do that if they’re looking for a fight? All fighting would do for them is incur the wrath of the  C ity  W atch,”

 

“Perhaps, the lady was  mistaken ,” Pod suggested and Tyrion shrugged

 

“Perhaps, although Maggy has been working  at  that inn for years, she knows body language and I’m inclined to believe her,”

 

“Well, if you’re right and she is right. Then that means that someone has deliberately sent these men to Westeros. Why would they do that?”

 

Tyrion paused before he answered

 

“Our King and Queen introduced wide reforms in Essos that changed centuries old traditions and practices. I would not be surprised if they had a few enemies in the East who preferred the old way,”

 

“So you think these men were sent by people who don’t like our King and Queen. That this is some sort of revenge?” Podrick asked and Tyrion could hear the disbelief creeping into his voice. 

 

“Perhaps,” Tyrion said lightly

 

“What are you going to do about it?”

 

“Nothing really. For all we know, I could be wrong about this little theory. Either way, the Gold  C loaks should be able to handle this. Security around the royal family is excellent and I imagine that these men will disappear as quickly as they have arrived,” 

 

“What if they don’t?” 

 

“Then we will use the Unsullied more to patrol these streets. That way we’ll be able to capture the men who are responsible, question them and see what we find. Either way, I’m not too worried. No one would be so foolish as to challenge this new Targaryen regime, any foreign invasion would get smashed in the harbour before they even reach land,” 

 

“But the Dragons aren’t here,” Pod said quietly and Tyrion frowned. 

 

“They’ll be back,” he said quietly. “Their children are here, the dragons will always protect their own,” 

  
  
  


**The Dragon King**

  
  


Jon stood on the deck of the  _ Lady Lyanna _ as they made their way North of the  W all to Hardhome. After a last minute change of plans, it was decided that they would ride for Eastwatch and then sail to Hardhome. There were 10 ships currently in their fleet, not a lot, but enough to at least bring some Wildlings south. 

 

News of his decision had spread  throughout the  W atch like Wildfire, several of Thorne’s officers had voiced their displeasure at his decision, however they had been wise to not do it in his sight. 

 

To make matters worse, at Eastwatch, he had been reunited with some of his  old foes . Theon Greyjoy and Jon Connington. Connington was a senior officer at East Watch, whilst Theon had become a ranger. They were both making this trip with him, as Thorne had ordered for the best men to take part  in this venture. Ser Loras and Ser Jorah had not been happy, but  Jon had told them to let it be.

 

Jon however had insisted that Tormund and Ygritte travelled with him on the lead ship, he did not want to risk anything  happening to them if he left them under the control of Thorne and his men. 

 

He stared out over the murky grey waters as they slowly travelled North, the captain had said  that  they should arrive today, and Jon could not help  but feel nervous about the upcoming meeting. He knew that he was walking into the heart of the Wildling camp and there was still a chance that they would kill him on the spot. It was so dangerous.

 

He had sent a raven south to Daenerys, and he hoped that it would reach her in time. Hopefully, all  would go well and he would not need her help after all. 

 

His eyes followed the miles upon miles of snow covered coastline. He saw seals and sea cows at rest. Jon heard footsteps approach behind him and he quickly turned around to see Ygritte standing behind him, she was flanked by guards and Jon sighed.

 

“Ygritte,” he said in a tired voice. “I’m a little busy right now,”

 

“Doing what? Staring at the shivering sea?”   
  


“I’m preparing,” Jon simply replied

 

“For Mance?” she asked and then she laughed. “You’re worried Mance will kill you as soon as you set foot on land,”

 

“It’s certainly crossed my mind,” 

 

“He won’t. I actually think Mance will like you,”

 

“What makes you say that?”

 

“I think you’re quite alike. I would have never thought you were a King, and Mance is the same,” she said and Jon frowned

 

“You don’t know what I’m like,” he said quietly but Ygritte shrugged

 

“Not yet, but I will,”  Ygritte replied playfully. 

 

“No Ygritte. You won’t. Here is the plan, we will meet with Mance and get the Wildlings south of the  W all to safety. Then once that is done, I will return south to my wife and my children, and that is as far as you and I will ever go,” Jon said firmly and Ygritte scowled.

 

“You still call us  _ Wildlings _ , you know nothing about us. You need me, otherwise this whole thing will fail,”

 

“No Ygritte. There is only one woman  that I need, and it isn’t you. Now I suggest you stay away from me until we reach the shore,” 

 

To his relief Ygritte finally stepped away from him but she spoke again.    
  


“Just don’t forget, you already stole me,” she said as she walked away. Jon frowned as he shook his head, he had no idea what she was talking about,  he suspected that it was another tradition of the free folk that he did not fully understand.

 

At that moment, he heard yet more footsteps on the deck, he turned and saw the Lord Commander and Jon Connington marching towards him. He frowned and pulled himself up to his full height, Ser Loras and Ghost quickly joined him.

 

“Your grace, we need to talk,” Thorne said immediately and Jon nodded. “I have discussed this situation with my officers and I am here to inform you that  you cannot proceed with this plan,” 

 

“Why is that?” Ser Loras asked

 

“The lands that make up part of the  G ift were given to the Night’s Watch in perpetuity, which means forever. They are not yours to give away, and neither are the castles that make up the Night’s  W atch,” Connington said and Jon cursed himself.

 

He had forgotten about this, it was something that he had learned many moons ago at Winterfell. He looked at Thorne who was barely concealing a gleeful smile and he sighed,

 

“That is true, Brandon Stark created the  G ift to be ruled by the Night’s watch in perpetuity, and Queen Alysanne  expanded its borders  a further 25 leagues south. However, times have changed, Brandon Stark is no longer here, and neither is Queen Alysanne. I am here, and this is my decision,” Jon said firmly and Thorne scowled. 

 

“You can’t do this, this is against the  laws ,” he grunted and Jon laughed.

 

“Kings have the power to create and discard laws as they see fit and I am going to use my royal authority in this case.”

 

“I may not know you very well , Lord Commander, but I do know that your entire objection to this plan is because you don’t like the Wildlings, is that correct?”

 

“They are our sworn enemies. We are supposed to fight them, not let them onto our lands where they can raid and rape as they please,” Thorne spat. 

 

“Where in the Night’s watch vows does it say that you must fight against the Wildlings?” Jon asked and Thorne scowled again. “It doesn’t say that. It says that you are the shield that guards the realm of men and this is how we will do it,”

 

Thorne opened his mouth to say something but Jon silenced him with a hand

 

“Enough Lord Commander. Even if I took your advice and didn’t locate them on the  G ift, that does not change the fact that I WILL be bringing them South of the wall. Now. I want you both to go back inside, accept that and fix your attitudes. This mission will be going ahead, and this is the last  that I will  hear about this matter from either one of you,” 

 

As Jon finished speaking, the two men continued to glare at him. It wasn’t until Connington pulled Thorne away that they finally left.

 

“Your popularity within the Night’s Watch and the North will be at an  all-time  low after this,” Ser Loras pointed out and Jon shrugged

 

“What’s better ? To be popular and leave thousands of people to die? Or unpopular as you try to save their lives?”

 

“I understand, and I agree with you. I was just letting you know,” Loras said gently. “I’ll keep an eye on those two today. I don’t trust them,”   
  


“Agreed,” Jon said as Loras walked off.  He saw a brother from the Night’s watch and he quickly signalled to him.

 

“Grenn, find Tormund and bring him to me,” he said and Grenn nodded before heading away. Sam had introduced him to Grenn and Jon had gotten along with him almost immediately. During their voyage, he had invited Grenn to join him and Robb in the evenings as they ate and played cards. 

 

Grenn returned a few moments later with Tormund. After their initial tense start, Jon learned of Tormund’s jovial nature. Tormund was full of stories, most of which Jon  thought were nonsense, but they were fun to hear nevertheless. 

 

“Tormund. Tell me about Hardhome,” Jon asked, he knew a little about the place, he knew that it was one of the few recognised settlements beyond the  W all, but not much else. Tormund took a deep breath before beginning. 

 

“Hardhome is an unholy place, they say it's cursed. One night, hundreds of years ago, Hardhome was destroyed, no one knows what happened, everyone tells a different tale. One village says the freefolk were slaughtered by the Skagosi, others said that slavers came and captured everyone to sell. The homes were said to have burned all through the night, in a fire so bright you could see it all the way from your  W all,”   
  


“Then why has Mance gone there now?” Jon asked in a quiet voice

 

“Where else is there for us to go , King  Dragon ? Mance has taken everyone from their villages. The White Walkers are coming from the North, the  W all is stopping us from fleeing South. Hardhome is the only place left. It’s by the coast so they can catch fish to eat, it has caves to shelter in from the cold, it’s the best we’ve got,” he said and Jon nodded

 

“Tormund, what would Mance have done had he gotten past the  W all?”

 

“I dunno,” he said. “I never asked,” 

 

“So what was your plan that night?” 

 

“The plan was for a small group to scale the  W all and attack Castle Black from the other side. We would then open the gates and let the rest of the freefolk through,”   
  


“What if that plan failed?”

 

“Well, he has his horn. I suppose  that he could have used that,” Tormund suggested as he scratched his chin. “Now that you mention it, I don’t know why he didn’t blow it….he spent years searching for the blasted thing,”   
  


“Horn? What Horn?” Jon asked as he turned towards him. 

 

“The Horn of Joramun. The horn that wakes the sleepers or whatever you want to call it,”

 

“What does it do?” 

 

“Legend has it, if you blow the Horn three times, the  W all will fall,”

 

Jon froze as the implications of this set in, but Tormund kept rambling

 

“But then again, it makes sense. He probably needed me to blow the horn. After all, I am was known for my lungs,” he said with a chortle.

 

“So Mance has a horn that can take down the  W all?” Jon asked quietly and Tormund nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me!”

 

“I forgot ,  to be honest. I haven’t seen Mance in months, I’ve only just remembered now that you asked,”

 

Jon looked at him and scowled before turning to look out over the choppy waves. A horn that could take down the  W all is absolutely devastating, but Jon couldn’t help but feel that there was more to it. 

 

If Mance had united all of his people together to save them from the White Walkers, why would he put their lives at risk attacking the  W all when he had a weapon that could destroy  it so easily? Was there some sort of magical cost associated with using the horn? Suddenly ,  Jon’s mind went back to the Valyrians, their magic required rituals and sacrifice, perhaps the horn required more of the same.

 

However, Jon realised that this would not be like Valryian magic, if anything  this item came from the North, the realm of the Old Gods, and Jon had little knowledge about them.

 

He sighed as he rubbed his temples. Mance having this horn gave him incredible leverage in their upcoming negotiations, and somehow Jon would have to get it back.

 

“Chin up, King  Dragon ,” Tormund said as he roughly patted him on the back. “Look, we’re here,” 

 

Jon groaned as he pulled himself up. Then, he headed back to his cabin to dress for the meeting with Mance.

  
  
  


****

 

After donning his Valyrian steel armour, Jon found himself on one of the smaller row boats as they made their way towards the shore. It was  him, Ser Loras, Ser Jorah, Robb, Ghost, Greywind, Lord Commander Thorne, Ygritte, and Tormund. Other officers from the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch were on neighbouring boats

 

On the shore, he could see that the freefolk had all stopped what they were doing to stare at him. Overhead Vedros gave us a warning cry, to remind them all of her presence. His dragon however remained over the shivering sea, content to watch from a distance. The sky was a dull grey colour and far to the North he could see dark clouds approaching. The wind from the sea was bitterly cold and Jon could see his breath on the air in front of him. 

 

As soon as the boat hit the shore, Ser Loras and Ghost jumped out in front of him. Tormund came next with everyone else falling in behind. 

 

A small man stepped forward. He had a thin moustache, and a knobbly chin. He wore armour that appeared to be made out of bones that rattled as he moved. Jon watched as his hand moved to his sword however he stopped right in front of them. Jon continued to stare at the man who had not moved his hand from his sword. To his right ,  he could Ser Loras rest his hand on his blade and he could feel Ghost starting to tense as he bared his fangs. However, the strange man instead turned to Tormund.

 

“Why if it isn’t Tormund Giantsbane. We  thought you were dead, turns out it’s even worse. You’re with the crows now,” he spat with disgust. 

 

“I ain’t no crow, and I ain’t here to see you Lord of Bones. We’re here to see Mance,” Tormund said as he stepped forward. 

 

“We?” He asked. “I thought you weren’t a crow?”

  
“He’s not a crow. But we are here to see Mance,” Jon said

 

“Who the  fucks are you?”

 

“I am King Aegon of  H ouse Targaryen. King of Westeros and I suggest you take you me to Mance and stop wasting my time,” 

 

“A king? There is only one King  that I follow, and it’s not you. I should cut you down right here and bring Mance your entrails,” 

 

At that, Ghost rose up and his hind legs and Vedros roared angrily in the distance. The sound echoed loudly across the open space and Jon was pleased to see the Lord of Bones was taken aback.

 

“You’re a  warg ,” he said in disgust.

 

“And a Dragonrider,” Ser Loras added. “Now ,  I suggest you do what he says, unless you want to meet the dragon for yourself,” 

 

The Lord of Bones stood rooted to the spot. Tormund grunted and then  roughly  shoved him out of the way and into the snow.

 

“I can find Mance myself,” he muttered. Jon only shrugged and followed him as he marched through the crowd. He casually rested one hand on his sword. He tried to ignore the stares  that  he received from those watching them. He was not too worried about being attacked, most people kept their distance, Ghost and Greywind made sure of that. 

 

They passed by rows of cookfires and tents and eventually they stopped outside of the grandest tent of them all. He could see the antlers of a great elk on the roof. Two guards stood outside the tent, wielding spears and shields.  

 

“This is the one,” Tormund said as he held the flap open. Jon nodded and then followed him inside. Once his eyes adjusted to the smoky red gloom, he could see the people inside. He saw a pregnant woman by a brazier, cooking a brace of hens. He saw a pretty  blonde woman sharing a horn of mead with a young man. He saw an old lady sitting perfectly still by the fire, however as soon he entered, the lady looked up at him with her striking blue eyes. He saw a man  seated on a tattered cushion with a lute, and everyone turned to look at him as they entered

 

“Tormund,” the man said. “You’re still alive?”   
  


“Aye,” Tormund said and at that moment the Lord of Bones burst into the tent.

 

“Mance, Tormund is a traitor, he’s brought the crows here with him,” he said and Jon raised an eyebrow in surprise. Mance was an ordinary looking man.

 

“I can see that he’s brought guests,” Mance said calmly. “I’m Mance Rayder, the woman by the brazier is  my wife, Dalla. The woman  by the fire , is a woodswitch by the name of Mother Mole. The  blonde beauty is Val and next to her, is her latest pet, Jarl,” 

 

“I am no pet,” he growled but everyone ignored him. Instead ,  Mance turned to his party. “You’re Ned Stark’s oldest,” he said as he pointed at Robb who looked stunned at the revelation.

 

“How do you know that?” he asked

 

“That’s a story for another time,” Mance said as he turned to Jon. “You, you have the look of a Stark, but I have never seen you before. Who are you?”

 

“Aegon of  H ouse Targaryen. King of Westeros,” Jon said calmly and Mance’s eyebrows raised in surprise

 

“A targaryen? You don’t look it,”

 

“My father is Rhaegar Targaryen and my mother was Lyanna Stark. I take after my mother,” Jon said and Mance nodded.

 

“King of Westeros? So you’re the man that replaced Robert Baratheon?” he asked and Jon nodded and then, the tense silence returned. “What do you want King Aegon?” he asked for a pause and then Jon took a deep breath

 

“I want to save you. All of you,”

 

“Save us? Who says we need saving?”

 

“I do. They do,” Jon said as he pointed towards Jon and Ygritte. “I know about the White Walkers. You have nowhere else to go, you need to come south of the  W all,”

 

Mance’s eyes clouded with fear and he dropped his head.

 

“Aye, the White Walkers are a problem,” he admitted after a moment and Jon continued on

 

“I  bring you an offer. I will allow the freefolk to pass through the  W all and settle on the lands just south by the  G ift. You will not answer to the Night’s Watch, you will answer to the Warden of the North. Lord Stark, and to me and my Queen. You will abide by all of our laws, and you will be punished accordingly if you disobey.  When the time comes, I want you to help us to defeat our common enemy, ” 

 

Mance looked at him for a few moments before he slowly started to shake his head

 

“You may not know this, but before I united the freefolk, they used to fight each other for years. Our friend, the Lord of Bones fought Harma Dogshead. Do you know why they stopped?” 

 

“Because you brought them together,” Jon answered and Mance nodded

 

“That’s right. They stopped for me, they follow me. They won’t follow  you, they won’t kneel to you,” 

 

“They will if you do,” Jon said bluntly. “You’re their King, do what’s right for them, bend the knee and take this deal. You and your people will die otherwise,”

 

“You don’t know the freefolk. You’re a southern King with no idea about us or our customs,”

 

“So what do you want? A Lordship? A castle?” Jon asked. 

 

“No , you don’t understand. You can’t expect the freefolk to follow your rules. They’ve lived a certain way for  centuries , they won’t change for you,”   
  


“You don’t know that, people can change,” Jon said and Mance laughed

 

“Are you telling me that you know my people better than me?” 

 

“I’m telling you  that  you’re being unnecessarily stubborn. I have three dragons and all the armies of Westeros at my disposal. What do you have? I’ve seen the freefolk fight. You have spirit, but you don’t have any weapons, nor do you have discipline. You can’t win without our help,”

 

“Who says  that I need your help? I had a plan to get past the  W all, I still have a plan to get past the  W all,” Mance said as he moved around the tent. He pulled off a sheet that was covering the horn and Jon was amazed at what he saw.

 

The horn of Joramun lay before him, black and banded with old gold, 8 feet long from end to end, runes were carved into the bands in the writing of the first men.

 

“Do you know what this is?” Mance asked

 

“The Horn of Joramun. The horn that can knock down the  W all,” Jon said quietly and he heard several men gasp behind him. That same tension had returned to the tent and Jon tore his eyes away from the horn to look up at Mance. To his surprise, Mance did not look happy and this made Jon pause. Something was amiss here

 

“I found Joramun’s grave beneath a glacier, up near the Frostfangs. With this horn, I can knock down your  W all and march into your lands if I wanted to,”

 

Jon nodded slowly as he looked at the horn. Then he looked back at Mance

 

“Then why haven’t you?” Jon asked and this time Mance frowned and Jon knew that he had him. 

 

At that moment he heard a roar from outside.  All of the freefolk looked panicked at the noise and Mance looked at him suspiciously. It was Vedros. He closed his eyes and then he searched for his dragon. Then he heard a different roar, deeper and louder. Anogar was here, and that could only mean one thing. 

 

“Excuse me, we will have to resume our conversation shortly, my wife is here,” Jon said as his mouth stretched upwards into a smile. He missed Dany and she was finally here. He quickly walked outside and looked up into the sky.

 

All three dragons were here. Vedros was up high whilst Anogar and Caraxes circled lower and lower looking for a place to land. They settled for a rocky outcrop to the west of Mance’s tent. Ghost bound away to meet her and Jon quickly followed, barely able to hold back his smile. He was much stronger with Dany with him, and he was sure that together, they could come to an agreement with Mance. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is called 'Hardhome', it should be a fun one. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this one, comments are always appreciated.   
> Thanks for reading  
> Sleepy


	5. Hardhome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story.
> 
> I'll come back and fix the formatting when I have some more time

**Catelyn had no love for swords, but she could not deny that Ice had its own beauty. It had been forged in Valyria, before the Doom had come to the old Freehold, when the ironsmiths had worked their metal with spells as well as hammers. Four hundred years old it was, and as sharp as the day it was forged. The name it bore was older still, a legacy from the age of heroes, when the Starks were Kings in the North. -  Catelyn I AGOT**

  


**The Winged Wolf**

  


“How could the wards lose their power? That doesn’t make sense. It’s _magic_?” Bran asked

 “It’s not that simple, Brandon, very few people even believe in it, and even less can manipulate it. Sometimes, the works of a great sorcerer, can be undone by someone naive and unsuspecting,” Brynden explained.

 “How can someone unknowingly interfere with the magic surrounding an underground prison? Surely, she was locked somewhere far away from human life?” Bran asked but again Brynden shook his head. Then Bran understood.

 “She’s buried under Winterfell, isn’t she?” he asked quietly. “In the crypts. Is that why the Kings of Winter have swords above their tombs?”

 “A castle built by Brandon the Builder with a Heart Tree in the middle, it was the perfect prison for her,” Leaf told him.

 “But what happened? How could we have affected the magic?”

 “What do you know about the Crypts of Winterfell?”

 “I know that all of the Lords of Winterfell have been buried down there, with their likeliness,”  


“Exactly,” Brynden said. “All of the _Kings and_ _Lords_ of Winterfell. That is why Brandon created the crypts all of those years ago, for the _Kings and_ _Lords_ ,”

 “What are you saying?” Bran asked and then he slowly nodded in understanding. “My Aunt Lyanna is buried in the crypts of Winterfell, are you saying because a woman was buried there, the magical ward was broken?”

 Brynden gave him a grim faced nod,

  
“You don’t know for certain, this is just your best guess,” Leaf added as she looked up at him.

 “It matters not, something has changed and the Others have renewed energy once again. After years of lying dormant, they are coming back,”

 “But they can’t cross the Wall,” Bran said quietly, he could almost tell that even the Wall, might not be as impenetrable as he once thought. He saw Leaf stand up and walk out the back end of the cave.

 “What do you know about Joramun?”

 “Not much, only what you just told me,”

 “Joramun was a King Beyond the Wall, one of the few that needed the power of Winterfell to break his army. The legend says that Joramun created a magical horn, one that could wake giants from the Earth and bring down the Wall. Mance Rayder has spent years searching for it, but he has not found it,”

“A horn that can bring down the Wall!” Bran exclaimed “And it’s out there! Where they can get it!”

 “No Bran,” Leaf called as she returned. “We have it here,” Bran saw her gesture to a parcel she held in her hand and this made him feel slightly relieved.

 “Here in this cave, we are safe from him. He is unable to enter, but he knows that we are here,”

 “Does he know the horn is here?” Bran asked

 “I am not sure. I am not sure of the full extent of his powers,”

 “Who is he?” Bran asked

 “The New Night King, he is the leader of the White Walkers and it is he, who needs to be defeated,”

  


**The Queen of Westeros**

  


Daenerys stepped off of Anogar’s great scaled wing and onto the frozen ice. Their journey North had gone quicker than expected most likely because Anogar had sensed her desire to see her husband again.

 He was waiting for her, grinning like a fool and Dany couldn’t help but smile in return.

 “Did you miss me?” she asked playfully as she stepped forward.

 “More than you could ever imagine,” he replied. He stepped towards her and quickly pressed his lips to hers. She inhaled his scent, he smelled of the outdoors and she loved him.

 “How are the children?” he asked as they broke apart.

 

“They are well. Little Lya is still causing mischief and Daeron is expecting you home in time for his nameday party. They are both getting even more lovely and adorable by the day,” she told him and he nodded.

 “Dany, the situation here is worse than I thought,”

“I know Jon,” she said quietly.

 “No Dany, I don’t think you do,” he said as he ran a hand through his raven hair.

 “I know Jon, The White Walkers,” she continued. She saw the surprise on his face and she quickly forestalled his follow up question. “The day you left, a Priestess of the Lord of Light came to see us from Volantis. She told us about this danger, and Rhaegar corroborated her story,”

 “Father knows as well?” Jon asked and Dany nodded.

 “Ask him when he lands,” she said as Caraxes settled onto the ground behind her. Anogar had taken off into the air and flew off over the Shivering Sea to hunt, some poor baby seals would likely be his dinner tonight.

 Rhaegar slid off the back of his dragon and immediately crossed over to Jon.

 “We’re all on the same page,” Dany said immediately. “Everyone knows about the White Walkers and the threat they pose. What we don’t know, is why you’re here, or where here is,”

 “This is Hardhome, this is where the remainder of the freefolk fled to after the battle at Castle Black,” Jon said

 “Battle at Castle Black?” Dany asked interrupting him as she frowned in worry “What battle? You didn’t mention that in your letter,”  


“There was a fight, it doesn’t matter, I handled it,” Jon quickly said as he continued on. “Anyway, after the battle was won. We found out that this is where the remainder of the freefolk are. And now we have to save them,”

“From the White Walkers,” Rhaegar said and Jon nodded.

 “I found out that the Walkers kill the living and then turn them into their own soldiers,” Jon added and Dany opened her mouth in shock.

 “How many are there here?” she asked

 “Tormund said 100,000. Not to mention their giants. It’s alot. My plan is to take them south of the Wall and settle them on the Gift. Lord Stark has already agreed to the plan, and he’s already making preparations south of the Wall for us,”

“Then why are you here?” Rhaegar asked

 “To convince their leader, Mance Rayder, to come south. It hasn’t gone well so far. I admit, but I hope with you two here, we’re able to come to a solution,”

 Dany nodded, she felt as if she had a good handle on the situation right now. Then she looked behind Jon, she saw Robb, Ser Loras and Ser Jorah along with a few other familiar faces, but she saw two people that she didn’t know.  


“Jon, who are they?” she asked. Jon turned and then he frowned.

 “Dany, that is Tormund Giantsbane and Ygritte,” Jon said as he pointed to them both. “They are prisoners that we took after the battle of Castle Black. They’re here to act as envoys,”

 Dany nodded as she regarded the two Wildlings, the man, Tormund, looked at her in wonder, while Ygritte had a sour look on her face. Dany shook her head and ignored her.

 “Come on Jon, let’s get on with it,” she said. She fell into stride next to her husband with Rhaegar just behind them. The first thing that Dany noticed was the strange way the free folk were looking at her.

 They were all silently watching and waiting, almost as if they were in awe of her. Some of them were whispering to each other, but it seemed no one could tear their eyes away. It felt surreal and she quickly nudged Jon.

 “Jon, why are they looking at me like that,” she whispered into his ear.

 “I have no idea. When I arrived, they looked fearful and distrusting. Not like this,” Jon answered. “Stay close to me and Ghost,” he added as he pulled her tight to his body. She saw his hand go towards his sword and he made a signal towards Ser Loras and Ser Jorah who did the same.

 

Thankfully, the freefolk kept their distance from them and they were able to reach the main tent untroubled. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and you saw several more of the freefolk in the tent.

 “Mance, this is my wife, Queen Daenerys Targaryen. Dany, this is Mance,” Jon said as he introduced them both. Mance had that same amazed expression on his face as the other freefolk until he found his voice

 “Now you, you look like a Targaryen,” he said after a moment. Dany raised an eyebrow at him in surprise before shaking her head

 “What do you mean by that?”

 “I’m just saying that you have the classic Targaryen looks that I grew up hearing about. Silver hair, purple eyes, I must say your husband doesn’t quite look the part,”

 Dany shook her head at him and decided to ignore him, it was time to focus on the task at hand.

 “What is that?” she asked as she pointed to a strange object that was on the far side of the tent. She felt Jon tense next to her and Mance grin

 “That, Queen Daenerys, is the Horn of Joramun. It is the horn that wakes the sleepers, and it is the horn that will cause the wall to fall,” Dany did her best to hide her shock and instead she turned to Jon, who had an intense look of concentration on his face.

 Could it be possible that one horn could knock down a wall of ice that big? Dany didn’t believe so, but a few months ago she hadn’t believed that the White Walkers existed either and yet here she was.

 “This horn, gives me all the leverage I need. I will not be coming south of the Wall to kneel to you and your husband. I will only come south to lead my people in my own way,”

 “That’s not true,” Rhaegar said quietly. “The horn only gives you leverage if you’re willing to blow it, and everyone here knows you are not going to do that,”

 Mance’s smile faltered and Dany caught onto her brothers meaning.

 “Yes, Rhaegar is right. If you blow the horn and the Wall falls, then there is nothing to protect you from the White Walkers. Even if the horn works, you’ll never blow it. It’s an empty threat,” Dany added and Mance frowned.

 “Now Mance, I have heard that you and my husband failed to reach an agreement earlier. Now it’s time to change that,” Dany said and Jon continued

 “Accept our offer, and bring your people south of the Wall to safety. It’s time to stop this pointless arguing and do the right thing,” Jon added. They all looked at Mance who was wringing his hands back and forth and he started to shake his head, but he was interrupted

 “Mance Rayder, it is time to go,” an Old Woman croaked from her place near the fire. Her voice was thin and raspy, but everyone seemed to hear her clearly. Dany had not noticed her earlier. She wore rough old clothes and she moved slowly but it seemed everybody listened to what she had to say.

“Mother Mole,” Mance began but he was interrupted again

 “She is the one. She is the one from stories and legends. We follow the Dragon Queen, Daughter of fire,”

 Mother Mole fell silent after that but it seemed that her words carried alot of weight in this camp. Dany watched as Mance swallowed nervously as he looked to the people around him.

 “She’s right,” a blond haired woman said as she stepped forward.

 “Val,” Mance began but the woman interrupted him again

 “No Mance, enough is enough. We tried to do it your way, but we couldn’t do it. We need help, and they’re offering to help us,”

“You would have me kneel to this southern King and abandon all of our ways and traditions?”

 “I would have you kneel to ensure our survival,” Val said as she folded her arms across her chest. “Think of your wife and child, think about _their_ survival,”

 “I agree with her,” Tormund said. “And I trust the Dragon King, he’s no crow. He will look out for the freefolk,”

 Dany looked at Mance and she saw his shoulders sag as he slowly nodded.

 “Very well. We will accept your offer,” he said and Jon nodded and stepped forward

 “Good. For the first 2 years, we will allow you to keep all of your taxes, and then after that you will pay a third of your taxes to the Night’s watch,” Jon said and Mance nodded

 “A quarter at first, then a third after 5 years,” Dany added. “The crown will also work to provide the supplies you need to construct new settlements on those lands. The freefolk will be expected to supply the labour,”

 “Does that seem fair?” Jon asked and after a moment, Mance nodded

 “How do we know the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch will keep his word?” Mance asked. “We all know he’s no friend of the freefolk,”

“I have spoken to Lord Commander Thorne, he is already onboard with this plan,” Jon said with a pointed glare towards him. Thorne gave a tight lipped nod in response and Dany wondered what had transpired between them, the last time she had met Thorne, he had been thrilled to serve a Targaryen King and Queen once again.

 “Very well. We have a deal,” Mance said as he extended his arm. Jon took it and the two men shook hands. “What’s next?”

 “We get you south of the Wall. I don’t think we have enough ships to take all 100,000 of you at once. So we will have to prioritise women, the elderly and young children first,”

 “I wouldn’t recommend splitting up families,” Mance said

 “Then do it by tribe,” Dany suggested. “You know them better than us, decide which tribes get to go first and so on,”

 “I can do that,” Mance said evenly. “When will we leave?”

 “At first light tomorrow. That gives us time to spread the message and it gives you all time to pack whatever belongings you can take with you,”

 “That sounds as good as plan as any,” Mance said. “Tormund head out and spread the word. You too Val,” Dany watched as they both nodded and then left the tent.

 “I believe that’s all for today,” Jon said. “Mance, I’ll see you in the morning,” Mance nodded and then Dany followed Jon out of the tent and into the evening air, the sun was setting and it bathed the sky in a beautiful orange glow.

 “Do you know what legend they were talking about?” Dany asked as she fell into stride with Jon.

 “Not a clue to be honest,” Jon said as he shrugged. “The freefolk have tonnes of legends and stories they could tell you.If you really want to know, I can ask Ygritte,”

 “Don’t bother. I may not have known her very long, but I don’t think she likes me very much,” Dany muttered as they continued to walk. It seemed they were heading back towards the ships that were in the bay.

 “Aye. I don’t like her much either. She’s probably jealous,”

 “Has she tried anything?” Dany immediately asked and Jon shook his head. “Good,”

 “I’ll ask Tormund tommorow,” Jon said evenly. “Let’s get you inside and fed. I imagine you haven’t eaten since you left,”

 “Yeah, I am a little hungry,” Dany said but she was focused on Ygritte. The red haired woman was looking back at them every once in a while and the displeasure was clear to see on her face. “I should have words with her,”

 “Oh? What is my fiery dragon going to say to her?” Jon asked as he chuckled

 “I’m going to tell her to keep a respectful distance between herself and MY King,” Dany said as she stared daggers at the woman. “And if she can’t manage that, Anogar will have a conversation with her, and it won’t be very friendly,”

 Jon laughed before he pulled her closer

“I love it when you get protective over me,” he said as he pulled her in for a kiss.  “However I’d rather you and I have an evening together. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to spend time together,”

 Dany’s heart warmed as he mentioned that, he was right of course. They hadn’t seen each other for over a month and even before that, they both led busy lives with in Kings Landing.

 “Deal,” Dany said with a smile, they were approaching the water and soon they climbed into a small boat that would take them out to the main ship.

“And tonight. I plan to get properly reacquainted with my Queen,” Jon said huskily and Dany blushed.

 “Really Jon, on a boat?” she asked with a smile and Jon shrugged

 “Our first time was on a boat Dany,” he reminded her and she nodded at the memory

 “Fine beloved, let’s make an evening out of this,”

  
  


**The She-Wolf of Winterfell**

  


Arya Stark was sat in her room in the red keep. That afternoon, she was able to do something she really enjoyed, looking after her nephew Daeron. Dany had left earlier that day, and Arya had Daeron until the evening.

 Daeron was sat opposite her on the bed, dressed in a targaryen tunic and she could see that he was waiting for her

 “All right Daeron,” she said softly. “What about a duck? Do you remember the ducks?”

 “Quack!” Daeron answered immediately and Arya smiled

 “What about cats?”

 “Miaow!”

 “Dragon?”

 “Roar!”

 “What noises do Dogs make?”

 “Wuff!” Daeron answered and Arya gave him a loud round of applause. Daeron smiled and enthusiastically joined in.

 “Aunty Arya. Can we go look for cats? Mama likes Cats,” Daeron asked and Arya chuckled. Daenerys always smiled and thanked him whenever he brought a cat to her, but Arya was sure that she was mostly happy to see her son

 “Are you sure Daeron?” she asked and the little boy eagerly nodded.

 “She says thank you Daeron and gives me a kiss,” he said and Arya chuckled

 “What about Lyanna, does your sister like cats?” Arya asked and she watched as he scrunched in face in concetration before shaking his head

 “Lya likes Ghost and Nymeria,” he said after a moment

 “Fine Daeron, let’s go find some cats,” she said and he bounded off the bed and over to the door. “Be careful, no running,” she added in a warning tone.

 “All right,” Daeron answered and Arya followed him out of the room. Daeron was very familiar with the castle and he quickly led Arya towards the kitchens. As they walked through the castle, Arya remembered her own lessons chasing cats with Syrio Florel, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

 She had continued to build on the things that Syrio had taught her, and Brienne had been very helpful. She trained with her whenever she could and Arya looked up to her somewhat, if Brienne could become a legendary warrior and join the Kingsguard, what was to stop her from doing the same?

 “Aunty, look,” Daeron whispered as he ran back towards her. She followed his fingers and she saw that he was pointing at a cat that was dozing on a ledge.

 “Daeron, be careful,” Arya said and he nodded. She stood back as Daeron slowly crept up the cat. Arya watched as he extended his arms and slowly picked up the cat.

 “Lucky boy,” she said quietly as she watched a beaming Daeron come back towards her, clutching the cat to his chest.

 “Aunty look!” he said as he held onto the cat. Arya watched as the cat squirmed a little in his arms as it mewled softly.

 

“Well done Daeron, what are you going to name the cat?”

 She saw Daeron frown in concentration, making a facial expression much like his father, and in that moment, the cat leapt out of his arms and bounded away

“Come back!” Daeron yelled as he chased after the cat.

 “Daeron no! Don’t run!” Arya shouted but it was too late, the little boy was already off in pursuit of the cat. Arya quickly took off after him. Daeron chased the cat around a corner and then Arya heard a surprised scream and Arya feared that Daeron was hurt

 She hurtled around the corner and she saw Daeron on the floor, he had bumped into something, fallen over and he was starting to cry.

 Then she looked up, and she saw Arianne Martell standing there and she immediately scowled.

 “What are you doing here?” she asked after she picked Daeron up. She held him and began to rock him gently. Arya began to whisper soothing words into his ear and he began to calm

 “I was walking around the castle,” Arianne answered

 “You should be more careful next time. You could have hurt the Prince,”

 “I would never hurt Prince Daeron, he’s just a little boy,” Arianne told her but Arya shook her head. Jon had told her about what she did with Dorne and the false Prince. Arya was not sure she could ever trust her.

 “Well watch where you’re going next time,” Arya said to her as she turned her back. Then she turned and headed towards Maegor’s holdfast with a sniffling Daeron in her arms. With both Jon and Dany gone, Arya realised that Arianne might think that this was her best chance to try something. She would have to keep a close eye on her over the next few days, Arya would not let her do anything that could harm Lyanna or Daeron.

  


**The Sands of Dorne**

  


Sunspear had not changed much in the time that they were gone, that much was clear to Obara upon their return. Children played in the streets and men and women went about their lives. They went to the market, they went to school, and they went to work and so on. Worst of all, it seemed that the people of Dorne had forgotten.

 They had forgotten about her father, a Prince of Dorne, who had been murdered on the battlefield.

 They had forgotten about her cousin, Princess Arianne, who was a hostage in Kings Landing, a hostage that the Targaryens held over them.

 Worst of all, it seemed that Prince Doran, had also forgotten.

 After they returned to Sunspear, Prince Doran had invited them to the castle and of course, Obara and her sisters had accepted. They needed to speak with him and doing so on his invitation would be less suspicious.

 She left her sisters behind in their rooms, she hoped that they would be able to speak with Trystane. Thankfully, Quentyn was still away in the boneway with House Yronwood. The Yronwoods were the second most powerful house in Dorne after House Martell. Obara came to realise that this could be a problem for them.

 The Boneway is a major pass that connected Dorne to the Stormlands, if House Yronwood did not agree with their intentions, then they could make passage through the pass difficult, or worse yet, they could alert the Iron Throne.

 “Is everything alright?” the deep booming voice of Areo Hotah asked. Obara smiled and then nodded her head. Areo stepped aside and then opened the great oakwood door that led towards Prince Doran’s solar.

 Inside, she found the Prince of Dorne sitting in his chair, facing out of the window at the evening sunset

 “Prince Doran,” Obara said as she entered the room. She noticed that the desk was piled high with papers and correspondances. She would not be surprised if he was talking with the Iron Throne.

 “Obara, it is nice to see that you have returned to us,” Doran said as he turned towards her. “How was your trip?”

 “Essos was lovely,” Obara replied casually as she flicked her long oily black hair. “It was nice to see a different part of the world, especially a part that my father frequented so often in his youth,”

 “Yes, Oberyn travelled to the free cities from a young age. When he was 16, he was found in bed with the paramour of Lord Edgar Yronwood. Lord Yronwood challenged him to a duel to first blood. Unfortunately, Lord Yronwood’s wounds festered and he eventually died, and your father gained the nickname ‘Red Viper’ ever since,”

 Obara nodded as her uncle reminscined, she had heard this story before of course.

 “After, your father was sent to Old Town and then on to Lys. And peace with the Yronwoods was only restored when I sent Quentyn there to foster,” Doran finished

 “I heard that he has returned to Yronwood,” Obara said after a moment and Doran nodded

 “He has, he likes it there I imagine. It is good that he is developing such a strong relationship with one of our vassal houses,”

 Obara forced her face into a smile, perhaps they would need Quentyn afterall.

 “I miss Arianne,” Obara said plainly and she saw Doran’s smile fade.

 “So do I,” Doran said and Obara could hear the pain in his voice

 “She needs to come home,” Obara said firmly as her face grew hard. “She is your daughter,”  
“I know. I have not forgotten her,”

 “Then what do you plan to do?” Obara demanded and Doran sighed

 “It is difficult,” Doran began and Obara rolled her eyes

“You don’t want to do anything,” Obara said scornfully. “You are content to let the Targaryens keep her as their hostage, lauding their power over us, mocking us,”

 “I am doing something, Obara. I am working with the Targaryens. I’m in discussions with their Hand and discuss trade, I am showing them that I am a Lord that can be worked with,” Doran said as he gestured to the papers in front of him

 “And what is the point of this plan? How will this help us get Arianne back?”

 “We need to be patient. The Targaryens have already let Lord Renly return to Storms End, in time I hope they will let Arianne do the same,”  
“Be patient?” Obara asked as she scoffed. “Your plan is to be patient and _hope_ that the Targaryens will grant Arianne her freedom? That will never work!”

 “We have no other choice,”

 “Yes we do. You can call the banners, and march to Kings Landing,” Obara said

 “And do what? Get 20,000 of our men killed? Lose more Dornish lives for no reason? War is not a Childs game,” Doran said harshly

 “It would send a message,” Obara began but Doran interrupted her

 “No. You are being foolish Obara. First off, the Targaryens could field an army ten times the size of ours not to mention their dragons. Our defeat would be ineviatable. And most importantly, you said it yourself, Arianne is a _hostage_ , which means that even if I called my banners, all they would do is threaten her life and I would have to back down. Not to mention that such a move would only succeed in destroying what little trust and good will that exists between Dorne and the Iron throne. It is really that simple,”

 Obara’s anger deflated as she sunk lower in her chair, she had not considered this, but her uncle was right.

 “Now. That is the last I will hear of this foolishness, do I make myself clear?” Doran continued and Obara nodded. “Good now go, I have work to do,”

 Obara quickly stood up and left his solar, thinking over their plan.

 They would still go over through with it, but it would be more difficult. Doran was right, Arianne being a hostage meant that they could not march to the gates of Kings Landing as she hoped. No, they would need leverage of their own.

 Obara frowned in concentration as she headed back to her rooms, she would give the orders to Tyene and Nymeria, and she would come up with the leverage they needed to bring the dragons to their knees

  
  


**The King of Westeros**

  


Jon laid in bed with Daenerys draped on his chest, she had woken him up with her mouth before climbing on top of him and sheathing him inside of her. Then she rode him wildly to completion before settling on his chest.

 

“You were especially loud this morning,” he said softly

 

“Mmmm,” Dany replied as she kissed his chest. “You didn’t seem to mind,”

 

“I love it when you wake me up like that,” Jon muttered as he stroked her soft hair. “I have no idea how you wake up so early either,”

 

“Lyanna,” Dany replied. “She still wakes up early and demands to be fed,”

 

“Does she sleep through the night?” Jon asked

 

“Not yet. It tooks months until Daeron managed to do it, so I’m not worried,”

 

“Do you think they’ll be fine without you?” Jon asked

 

“They both will be fine, Daeron moreso than Lyanna. Lyanna might be difficult in the mornings, but the wet nurse should be able to feed her and I hope that she doesn’t give my ladies too much trouble, she can be quite a handful at times,”

 

“How are they? What have they been doing?”

 

“Lyanna is doing fine, Jon. She’s not walking or talking yet so you haven’t missed anything. The other day, she managed to crawl all the way across the nursery towards me, it was very impressive,”

 

Jon smiled as his chest swelled with pride “That’s my girl,”

 

“She also likes the sing,” Dany added and Jon chuckled. “Rhaegar sings to her all the time and she likes to join in. Then whenever I try to bathe her, she starts to sing for me and I join in,”

 

“She’s such an adorable little girl,” Jon said as he smiled wildly

 

“As for Daeron, like I said, he’s expecting you home for his nameday. He’s going to have a party and he’s already planned his guest list,”

 

Jon chuckled. “Aye I was thinking of getting him a small toy sword for him to play with,”

 

“A sword? He’s only three Jon,” Dany said defensively as she lifted her head up off his chest

 

“I know but he will have to learn how to use a sword eventually Dany. Besides, I’m sure he and Arya get up to much more mischievous things than sword fighting,”

 

“That’s probably true,” Dany agreed

 

“I miss them,” Jon said quietly as he looked out of the small window in their cabin. He could see that the sun was starting to rise, soon it would be time to start loading up the ships with as many of the free folk as they could carry.

 

“So do I,” Dany said as she lifted her head off his chest. She tilted her head up at him and Jon softly kissed her lips

 

“I had a dream last night,” he said quietly. “I had a dream of a wolf trapped in the ice. The wolf kept howling, but no one heard him,”

 

“Do you think you were dreaming about yourself?” Dany asked a moment and Jon shrugged.

 

“I don’t know. I’m not exactly trapped here,” Jon answered and he saw Dany frown

 

“Perhaps you should ask Rhaegar, he might be able to work it out,”

 

“I will,” Jon said

 

“I’ve noticed he’s been acting differently these past few days,” Dany said quietly. “He’s only been his normal self when he’s with Lyanna,”

 

“Aye, I guess I’ll keep an eye on him. See what I notice,” Jon said as he nodded slowly

  


“Let’s get up and get this day started. One of us can fly back home today to see the children,”

 

“You go,” Jon said immediately. “Lya needs you more than she needs me,”

 

“Jon, she needs her father too,” Dany said quietly

 

“I know but, she needs you more,” Jon replied as he gently sat up in bed. “Come on my beloved, the sooner we get dressed for today. The sooner we can all go home to see them,”

 

Dany looked up at him smile and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips before climbing out of bed. Jon watched her shapely form, resisted the urge to pull her back to bed before he too left the bed to join her

 

* * *

 

 

After breaking their fast on a meal of bread and fish, both Jon and Daenerys stood on the shore as they watched the freefolk carry their meagre belongings towards their fleet. Jon had half an eye on Rhaegar and he noticed that his father was indeed rather quiet. After breaking his fast he had climbed onto Caraxes to fly above them all. Jon wondered what was happening with him, he would have to speak with him once the day was over.

 

“Tormund, how many are coming back with us on the boats?” Jon asked the red haired Wildling who was standing next to them.

 

“Not alot,” Tormund gruffly replied. “You only brought 10 ships,”

 

“What are we going to do about the rest of them? Are they going to wait here?”

 

“Nah. Those that can will march towards Castle Black, no sense waiting around here for the ships to return, it could take months,”

 

“Fair enough,” Jon said as Vedros swooped overhead. His dragon banked low and covered them all in the shade provided by her wing.

 

“Bloody hell. I never thought I would see a dragon in my life, and here you all are with three, You never told me how you guys got them,” Tormund said

 

“We hatched them from petrified eggs that I was given,” Dany told him

 

“Hatched them eh?” Tormund asked as he scratched his beard. “Sounds like a bit more complicated than that,”

 

“Aye it is. It’s a story for another time,” Jon said with a smile.

 

“Tormund. Yesterday in Mance’s tent, the old lady said that I was the chosen one, or something like that. What did she mean?” Dany asked and Jon saw Tormund’s usual jovial face take on a more serious look

 

“There is an old freefolk tale, told by a woodswitch about a special woman. This woman would do what no man could do, and that was lead the freefolk south of the Wall where we would live on those lands. The woman would have hair as pale as the moonlight just like yours. Mother Mole must have seen something in you,” Tormund said to Daenerys who nodded slowly.

 

“It’s a good thing you showed up when you did,” Jon added. “Mance was being incredibly stubborn,”

 

“Aye, he can be like that. He wouldn’t have been able to rally the freefolk otherwise,” Tormund told him. Jon continued to watch the preparations, he saw Thorne and Connington helping and he was pleased to see that were now following his instructions.

 

He looked to the other side and saw Theon Greyjoy walking and talking with Ygritte, Jon watched them for a few moments before turning his head to look towards the North. It was a clear day, but he saw dark clouds making their way towards them.

 

“Perhaps you were right Tormund, looks like there is a storm coming,” Jon said as he pointed towards the skies

 

“Aye, although we should be clear of here by the time it reaches,” Tormund said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “What are your dragons called?”

 

“The dark green one is mine, her name is Vedros. The black one is Anogar and Dany rides him. The cream and gold is Caraxes, ridden by my father,” Jon told him

 

“So you have your own dragon, your own direwolf, and your own guards to protect you. If I hadn’t seen you fight, I would have thought you were a coward,” Tormund said with a laugh

 

“Tormund, that storm is getting closer,” Dany said and Jon could hear the concern in her voice. To make matters worse, he could sense that Ghost was beginning to get restless by his side.  

 

“You’re right,” Tormund said as he scratched his chin. “That’s unusual,”

 

“Come on, let’s start hurrying people up then,” Jon said as he stepped forward. Together, they walked further into Hardhome and helped to hurry things along. The freefolk camp was well on its way to being packed up and truthfully, there was not that much left to do, however Jon couldn’t help shake the feeling of unease.

 

“Do you hear that?” Dany asked as they stopped for a brief moment. Jon nodded. It was a deep rumbling noise, coming from the North. Jon could feel Ghost’s restlessness and as he looked up in the sky he could see that the dragons were circling low over head. The feeling of unease was spreading from low in his stomach out to the rest of his body.

 

“I do,” Jon said as he continued to look North. They were nearly at the end of the camp. There were only 20 or so more tents and then a massive wooden wall that formed a ring around the camp. The gates were currently open and a handful of freefolk were trickling.

 

“Tormund what lies beyond this wall?” Jon asked

 

“Nothing really. More wilderness. Some people live up on those hills overlooking Hardhome, but they should all be making their way down to leave,” Tormund answered. Jon took a step forward, but Ghost didn’t, his wolf would move no further. Then Jon heard all of the dogs begin to bark and howl, he even heard Greywind, the loudest of them all.

 

“Dany, I don’t like this,” Jon said as he backed up. The noise was getting louder now and the storm was nearly upon them. “I think it’s time for you to get on Anogar and get out of here,”

 

“Jon, I’m not leaving you,” she immediately said and Jon sighed.

  
“Dany please, I just want you to get on your dragon, you’ll be a lot safer up there. I’ll join you shortly,” Jon said again and thankfully she nodded in acceptance. She headed in the opposite direction with Ghost shadowing her.

 

“Your grace, what’s happening?” an out of breath Ser Loras asked as he ran over to them.

 

“I don’t know,” Jon honestly answered as he looked up at the rocky outcrop. Then he heard a shout

 

“Close the gate! Close the fucking gate!” a man shouted and Jon watched as several men sprinted forward to close and bar the wooden gate. He saw several members of the freefolk sprinting forward, desperately trying to make it inside but they were too late.

 

As the gate swung shut he could hear their panicked screams and shouts as they pounded on the wooden gate until that too faded to an eerie silence.

 

That’s when Jon noticed how silent it had become. The storm from the North had seemingly stopped on top of the hilltop, it was as if it was waiting for something.

 

Then he heard a thud coming from the gates, and that thud turned into a pounding noise and Jon could see the gate begin to move back and forth under the weight it was being subjected to

 

“Your grace, you should leave,” Loras said and Jon nodded. He began to take a few steps backwards when he heard the first scream. The freefolk began to sprint away from the gate towards the boats and Jon could see the panic and all of their faces

 

“Get in line! Get in line!” Jon shouted but it was fruitless, everyone was already in a panic. He heard a loud roar coming from above and he could see the dragons circling. To his relief he saw that Dany was on Anogar and he could faintly see the outline of his father on the back of Caraxes.

 

“We need to leave!” Loras shouted as he began to pull him back towards the boats. They both fell into a run until Jon heard a scream coming from his left. Jon turned his head in that direction and he saw a series of skelton like creatures scurrying over towards a tent. He saw a woman with her children being overwhelmed and he was compelled to help.

 

“Loras!” he shouted as he sprinted towards the woman. He drew Darkfyre with one hand as he sprinted towards the tent. He closed to within two paces of the skeleton and then he sliced at it with his swords. He easily cut the skeleton in half and Loras and Tormund cleaned up the rest.

 

“You need to leave,” Tormund said to the freefolk woman who was rapidly nodding her head. She was shaking with fear but they had no choice but to pull her to her feet and push her towards the exit of the tent.

 

“The White Walkers are here,” Tormund spat out. “And we haven’t gotten everyone on the boats. We need to hold them off,”

 

“That doesn’t matter,” Loras countered. “We have to save what we can,”

 

“Let’s go,” Jon shouted as he began to make his way back towards the boats. The trio quickly ran down the pebbled shore to the beach until they saw Mance who was being trying to help his wife onto a very overcrowded boat.

 

“Mance!” Jon shouted. “Mance!” and finally Mance turned to look at him, his eyes were wide with fear and his clothes were a mess.

 

“Where’s the horn!” Jon shouted “Where is your fucking horn!”

 

They could not leave the horn behind, if the Walkers got that horn then the damage they could cause would be unimaginable. Mance looked at him and he shook his head, he didn’t have it

 

“It’s in my tent!” Mance shouted and Jon swore in frustration.

 

“Loras, Tormund, with me!” he ordered as he began to march North again. “No arguments Loras!”

 

The trio pushed through the fleeing crowd as they made their way towards Mance’s tent. The closer they got the, the thinner the crowd became. They cut through a few more of the skeletal creatures until they finally saw the tent.

 

The once grand tent with its antlers on top had a large hole in the side and the wind was blowing through it. Jon increased his pace and then he raced inside and he froze at what he saw.

 

Two Others stood in the tent before them, their skin as pale as milk and their eyes a cold burning blue that transfixed Jon.

 

They stared at each for what felt like an eternity before one Walker spoke to another, their language was strange, almost musical. Jon saw the second Walker leave the tent, grasping Mance’s horn tightly.

 

“No. You can’t have that,” Jon said as raised his sword. The light ran along his Valyrian steel blade and the Other watched it intensely until it too raised its hand. In his hand was a longsword unlike any that Jon had ever seen.

 

If Jon’s blade shimmered and smoked with the light, the Others blade almost seemed to come alive, it was translucent, a shard of crystal so thin that it seemed to vanish when Jon looked at it edge on. There was a faint blue shimmer around the edges and Jon could feel the cold that was brought into the tent.

 

He stared into the Other’s eyes as he searched for a weakness, he knew he had to move quickly, otherwise the horn could escape, but he knew that one false move could cost him his life.

 

Then he heard a yell as Tormund lunged forward, swinging his axe wildly. The Other moved with impossible speed to block the strike, and when they touched, Tormund’s steel shattered, turning completely to dust.

 

Jon realised that this was his only opportunity and then he sprung forward, aiming a cut for the Walkers legs. However, he was too slow, the Other moved silently backwards, and Jon’s strike came up empty. On instinct Jon moved backwards again and he dodged the Other’s strike that was aimed for his neck.

 

The Other made a sound, he sounded impressed and Jon tensed before he leapt forward again. He pivoted on the balls of his feet as he pushed and probed for an opening. He saw one, jabbed forward to take it, but again he came up empty.

 

This time, the Other brought his sword around to his side and the translucent blade crashed into his Valyrian steel chestplate just below his arm. Jon was knocked to the floor by the impact, and his eyes immediately looked to his arm, expecting to see a pool of blood

 

But there wasn’t any.

 

His Valyrian Steel Armour had not been pierced by the Other’s blade.

 

The Other looked at him, and then back to his blade and released a noise of surprise. The Other quickly yanked back his sword and went for another strike but this time Loras blocked it with his blade which didn’t shatter. The air was filled with a painful screeching noise as the blades touched but Loras held firm.

 

Jon was shocked, and so too was the Other. Those burning blue eyes were wide and Jon realised that this was something that he had not expected. They had come to ambush them and this was not part of their plan

 

Realising this was his opportunity. He quickly readjusted his sword and drove it up through the Other’s chest.

 

Almost on impact, the Other shattered completely to dust.

 

Loras collasped to his knees in exhaustion and Tormund turned to him

 

“What the fuck just happened!” he asked and Jon shook his head. “Why did my axe break but your swords didn’t? How are you alive! He cut right at your ribs!”

 

“Valyrian Steel,” Jon said after a moment as the pieces came together in his mind. “It must be the Valyrian steel. I have it in my armour and in our swords. Your sword is just normal steel,”

 

Jon slowly rose to his feet and he immediately clutched his side, it felt like his ribs were broken once again.

 

“Thank the gods you gave me one then,” Loras said as he caught his breath. “I would have been dead otherwise,”

 

“Aye,” Jon said. “The horn,”

 

Loras nodded and Jon helped him to his feet and together the trio staggered out of the tent. Jon was not prepared for what he saw.

 

Hardhome had been completely overrun. Thousands of freefolk lay on the floor either dead or dying as the Walkers and their creatures wreaked havoc. Fires burned uncontrollably from where the dragons had done their best to help. Jon saw giant bears and Ice Spiders the size of hounds picking through the pile of human corpses

 

“The horn is gone,” Jon said quietly as he looked around, he couldn’t see the Walker that left with the horn.

 

“Up there,” Tormund said as he pointed towards the hill. Jon followed his fingers and then he saw them

 

A group of White Walkers were ontop the hill surveying the carnage that their lieutenants had caused. They sat astride dead horses, one even sat astride a dead mammoth. That must have been their leader.

 

“What is that?” Loras asked as he pointed to something lower down. A great beast had appeared, it was four legged, larger than an elephant and with fangs almost as big as Jon.

 

“A bloody shadow cat. They must have turned them,” Tormund said quietly and Jon could hear the fear in his voice

 

“We need to leave,” Loras said and Jon found himself nodding in agreement. They managed a few steps backwards before the undead shadowcat caught sight of them and bared its fangs. It’s teeth were long and jagged and Jon did not want to get a closer look. The beast took a few steps towards them

 

“We can’t outrun that,” Tormund said. “Not a fucking chance,”

 

“Vedros,” Jon said quietly and his dragon answered with a loud throaty roar and the shadowcat paused before turning its great ugly head up to the sky. Then Jon heard another roar, a deeper one and then he saw Anogar swoop low to burn the shadowcat where it stood.

 

The shadow cat released a blood curdling scream as it was engulfed in Anogars black flame. Whilst that happening, the ground next to him shook as Vedros landed

 

“Everyone climb on!” Jon shouted as he sprinted towards his dragon. Vedros swung her tail around as she cleared the path for them. Jon saw her knock away a giant ice spider with one effortless flick as he skidded into her wing.

 

He quickly climbed up, helped up Tormund and Loras and then Vedros was on her way again.

 

“Dracarys!” Jon shouted “Burn them! Burn everything Dead!” he ordered and his dragon roared in happiness. He looked out to the water and saw that the majority of the ships were away, he saw a handful of giants waddling in the water and the Walkers did not follow

 

“Can they swim?” Jon shouted over the roaring wind but he got no answer. He decided to play it safe, they would need to buy some time so the ships could escape.

 

Vedros swooped low and released a torrent of green flame over Hardhome, burning a pile of bodies before she swooped upwards again. Jon turned his head towards the hills and he saw something that made his blood run cold

 

The horn had made its way to  the rest of the White Walkers and their leaders now had it in hand.

 

“We have to stop him!” Jon roared and Vedros agreed with him as she surged towards them. To his left, he saw Anogar reach the same conclusion as Dany raced forward. Anogar was in the lead with Vedros and Caraxes close behind. Vedros began to beat her wings quickly as she closed the gap. Jon closed his eyes and focused on his mental connection with his dragon, and soon he could almost see through her eyes.

 

He saw the leader put down the horn and reached for something else that Jon could barely see. Vedros roared loudly before she opened her mouth, Jon could feel the fire bubbling and brewing, ready to spill forward.

 

Then he saw what he had in his hand. It was a spear made of ice and it was being aimed right at them.

 

“No!” Jon shouted as he pulled Vedros out of the way. She followed his commands and performed a hard banking right hand turn that had Jon scrambling to maintain his balance. He heard a roar of frustration from the other dragons and he learned that they too to pull out of their assault.

 

Once they righted themselves, Jon turned around to face the Walkers again.

 

He had the horn in his hand

 

He lifted it to his lips.

 

Then he blew it.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is called "The Book of Rhaegar". Hopefully I should have it out in the next 2-3 weeks for you guys. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this one, comments are always appreciated. 
> 
> Thanks for reading  
> Sleepy


	6. The Book of Rhaegar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story.
> 
> I'm aiming for at least one update every 2-3 weeks but don't hold me to that. I've been very busy

**The Winged Wolf**

  
  


“Tell me more about the  New Night King,” Bran said to Brynden who nodded  in response . 

“The Night King  who is the current leader of the White Walkers, possesses special powers that the other  W alkers do not have. He is special, you will know him when you see him,”

“Why is he so special?” Bran asked

“He is special, because  of his mother . He is the only Walker to be born this way, everyone else was turned after birth,”

“His mother is the Night Queen,” Bran said quietly, the pieces were beginning to fit together in his mind.

“Yes, we believe so.  His father, The First Night’s King performed rituals and sacrifices to the Others, and we believe that as a result of this, he was able to  conceive this child with his Queen. The babe must have been ferried away North to the lands of Always Winter before the Nightfort fell,”

“And he wants to unite with his mother again?” Bran asked. The Night King was like an exiled Prince, and now he was returning to try and reclaim his Kingdom.

“Yes. We cannot stress how important it is that this  cannot be allowed to happen, Bran, combined, their power could prove to be unstoppable,”

“How can I stop it? How can we defeat them?”

“The Weirwood will tell you Bran,” Leaf said gently

“But you need to know now Bran, we don’t have much time. He will come today,”

“Today? How do you know?”

“I have known for some time Brandon, the day is upon us, now please, take hold of the branch, close your eyes and let the Weirwood guide you. It will not be easy, you will have to dirty your hands  and sully your honour and morals  but you must do it Bran, the world depends on you. The world needs you to sacrifice parts of yourself so they can all live free from the eternal darkness. This is the only way to defeat them for good,”

Bran looked at his mentor nervously before he slowly reached out to take hold of the branch to his right. His eyes rolled back in his head as he was shown a series of terrifying visions. The visions blurred together, he saw his father, the Godswood of Winterfell, dragonflame, swirling winter storms, blood and death. Bran tried to scream and run, but there was nowhere for him to go.

His body started to writhe and twist as information flooded through to him, stripping away parts of his identity and replacing it with  the knowledge that he would need for the coming fight.

He flew above the cave as one with a flock of ravens. To the North, he could see a fierce  W inter Storm coming towards him. From the South, came a dragon.

  
  
  
  


**The Silver Prince**

  
  


Rhaegar had been dreaming of Lyanna again. It was the same dream that he had been having for months, ever since his injury at the end of the war. In each of the dreams, he would be with Lyanna, reliving moments of their time together but he could never touch her, she was always just tantalingsily out of his reach.

Previously , she had always said that it was not his time, before floating away. Rhaegar had been desperate to see her again, he missed her dearly. His grandchildren helped to cheer him up, but when he was not with them, his mind only turned to Lyanna once again

Rhaegar would have loved to go North with her, to these lands that she called home. It was an opportunity  that they never had. During his dreams, he and Lyanna would often end up underneath a great weirwood tree. Rhaegar wondered where that tree was, and what it meant.

He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, he had to focus, the White Walkers were finally here and Jon and Daenerys would need his help to defeat them, and he would do whatever it took to help them.

Rhaegar was interrupted from his thoughts by a knock on the door.

“They’re back,” The Night’s  W atch brother said as he left the room. Rhaegar nodded and stood.

After the horn was blown at Hardhome, Rhaegar had raced back to the  W all with Jon and Daenerys, only to find that it was still standing. This was a relief to Rhaegar, and it only confirmed his suspicions that the horn that Mance had was  a fake.

He had relayed these thoughts to Jon and Dany who both had agreed with him that this was the most likely conclusion. After that, they had been forced to wait at the castle until the rest of the fleet arrived.

Whilst they did that, Jon took the time to heal. Despite his Valyrian steel armour saving his flesh, the strike had still left him badly bruised. Maester Aemon who had come from Castle Black to Eastwatch reckoned that he had at best two broken ribs and several others that were bruised. He would heal, but his fighting would  be  severly impaired in the meantime.

Rhaegar sighed as he entered the main hall of Eastwatch, he was surprised to see that he was the last one here. Jon and Daenerys sat at the head of the table, with Ser Loras and Ser Jorah behind them. Robb Stark, Maester Aemon, Mance, Connington, Tormund and the woman he came to know as Mother Mole rounded out the room.

Rhaegar smiled and went to stand behind his son, he gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder and pretended not to notice as  Jon winced slightly in pain

“All right, now that you’re all back, we need to have a talk,” Jon said as he leant forward. “As you all know, the White Walkers attacked us at Hardhome. How many did we save, and who did we lose?”

“We didn’t save enough,” Mance said. “Maybe 10,000 of the freefolk managed to escape. Along with only 5 Giants. The rest are dead,”

The room fell into silence after Mance’s words and Rhaegar could see Jon’s shoulders slump

“What about the Night’s Watch ?  I haven’t seen Lord Commander Thorne,”

“The Lord Commander didn’t make it. We lost several rangers from Eastwatch, Theon Greyjoy was amongst them. They went back to help buy time,” Connington told them. “The Night’s  W atch will need a new  Lord C ommander,”

“That is true, but it is something that we can handle at another time,” Dany said quickly. “Right now we need to focus on the bigger threat, the White Walkers,”

“As some of you may already know, the White Walkers  cannot be defeated with normal steel. Only Valyrian Steel and Dragonglass can kill them, and even then it is incredibly difficult. One on one, a White Walker will kill any one of us in combat,”

“How do you know that?” Mance asked

“He fought one,” Tormund said gruffly. “Saw it with my own eyes. They move bloody quickly as well, the Dragon King should have died, he got hit right in his chest,”

“How did you survive?” Ser Jorah asked

“My armour is made from Valyrian plate steel. Which seems to be strong enough to withstand a strike from their blades,” Jon said. “That being said, it still hurt like hell,”

“So what is the plan? Why did you all leave?” Mance asked

“The plan is to hold the  W all,” Dany said after a moment. “As for why we left, you already know why,”

“The White Walkers obtained your horn ,  Mance,” Jon continued. “That’s why I fought them. I tried to hold them off. The lead White Walker, blew the horn and we raced back to the  W all to see what happened,”

“But the  W all is still standing,” Connington pointed out and Rhaegar nodded

“I believe  that the horn is a fake,” Rhaegar said as he spoke up

“Impossible, I spent years searching for that thing. It has all of the bands and markings from the first men. That horn was real, perhaps they did something wrong, perhaps they need a man to blow it,”

“Either way,” Dany cut in before he could respond. “The White Walkers have a horn that is now useless to them. Especially if it is true that the horn requires a man to blow it. After Hardhome, there is no one left North of the  W all that can blow the horn, and so we are safe from that danger,”

“No,” Mother Mole croaked from her chair. “There are more,”

“Who?” Jon asked

“There is a boy North of the  W all. He is with a girl and a huge man who carries him everywhere,”

“Mance are there any tribes or clans that you failed to recruit?” Dany asked and Mance shook his head

“No , I got them all,” he said with a frown. “Mother Mole, where are these people?”

“Underneath an ancient weirwood far to the North. Far past lands where man have walked,”

“Well how did they get there?” Dany asked

“They had a guide, and they have a direwolf,” Mother Mole answered and Robb Stark gasped loudly before turning to look at Jon

“Bran,” Robb said and he saw Jon nod. “It has to be Bran,”

“It must be. We never looked North of the  W all,” Jon said as he shook his head. “And he’s been there all of this time,”

“We have to go and save him, I can’t leave him out there,” Robb said as he shook his head

“I agree,” Jon said. “We can find this weirwood tree on dragonback and bring him home safely,”

“No Jon, it’s far too dangerous,” Rhaegar said immediately. “The White Walkers are here and they have those Ice Spears that can strike the dragons,”

“They won’t be able to hit us if we stay high in the air,” Jon said quickly but Rhaegar shook his head

“It’s too dangerous ,  Jon. What if you get hit and go down?  What about those  Ice spears that they threw at the dragons? ”

“Then you will have to fight without me,” Jon said simply and Rhaegar shook his head.

“Your grace, you shouldn’t do that. Prince Rhaegar is correct, your life is too valuable. If we lose you or the Queen, then everything that you have built and everything that you have worked for will be lost,” Ser Jorah said and Ser Loras nodded in agreement.

“The White Walkers are already South near Hardhome, the plan would be to fly far to the North,” Jon said but Rhaegar shook his head

“We don’t know if that was all of them. We don’t know how fast they move, the risk is too high,”

“You can’t expect me to leave Bran out there to die,” Jon said. “Especially after what happened at Hardhome, we can’t leave him to that fate,”

“Jon, I know this is difficult, but you have to let this go,” Rhaegar said. “Sometimes, you have to put the needs of the many ahead of the few. Especially now with your injury,”

Jon paused to consider this but then he shook his head

“I have to try,” Jon said firmly and Rhaegar sighed before turning to Dany. She looked less certain than Jon but he knew what her decision would be

“I’m going to go with him. I can’t sit here and wait, and he will need all the help he can get,”

“Father come with us, with three dragons we stand a much better chance,” Jon said and Rhaegar sighed before nodding his head. He would do it to protect them.The rest of the meeting passed without Rhaegar offering much to the conversation. He just stood and listened as the plan was formed.

Tormund, Robb, Ser Jorah and Ser Loras would be accompanying them on this trip. The Dragons would fly as close to each other as they possibly could, always remaining in sight of one another. They would all flee south at the first sign of trouble from the White Walkers. Rhaegar just stood silently through it, only offering his input when necessary.

“Jon, Daenerys,” Rhaegar said quietly as everyone stood to leave the room. “What about Daeron and Lyanna? What if this plan goes badly?” his hands were shaking as he thought of his grandchildren. He would not allow them  to die, not if he could help it.

He looked up at  both of them after he  had spoken . He saw that Dany looked pale as she considered this whilst Jon ran his hair through his hands.

“We will return to our children,” Jon said firmly, “I promise you father, we will,”

 

* * *

 

  
  


_ Rhaegar Targaryen was South once again, in the Red Mountains of Dorne inside the  _ _ T _ _ ower of Joy. He was dressing himself for the long journey North, whilst his pregnant bride stood by his side _

_ “Please take me with you,” Lyanna asked for what felt like the hundreth time. _

_ “You can’t Lya, it’s much too far,” Rhaegar said quietly as he looked at her. Her stomach was well rounded as their child grew inside of her. She was almost 6 moons along by now. _

_ “It’s not so far, only to the Riverlands,” she sniffed as she folded her arms across her chest. “Besides, I can talk to my brother, I can make him understand and stop this foolishness,” _

_ “I know my dear but still, I don’t want to risk you or the baby. I know you are strong, but the road ahead of me is long and treacherous, and there are no safe havens for us to fall back to should things go awry. I can not take you to Kings Landing, I will not let my father use you as a hostage,” _

_ Lyanna heard this and then she sighed but not before pressing her forehead to his. _

_ “I will miss you,” she said quietly _

_ “And I will miss you too,” Rhaegar whispered in return _

_ “Promise me you will return. For me, and for our child,” _

_ “I will Lya, I will return for you both,” Rhaegar promised _

_ “What do you think our child will look like?” Lyanna asked. “A boy with your hair and my eyes?” _

_ “Hmmm. A girl,” Rhaegar said quietly. “A girl with your lovely raven hair and my eyes,” _

_ Lyanna smiled at that. “She sounds beuatiful,"  _

__

_ "She will be very beautiful," Rhaegar answered as he gently kissed her temple _

_ "I would love any child that we had,” _

_ “So would I,” Rhaegar said in agreement. “But my love, I have to go now, but I will return to see you and our child, I promise,” _

_ He lifted her chin up and then pressed a gentle kiss to her lips before leaving the Tower of Joy. He climbed onto his horse, and galloped away to the North, to try and put the realm to rights. _

  
  


* * *

 

Rhaegar sighed as he stood in the corridors of Eastwatch. He remembered saying goodbye to Lyanna clearly,  it was a beautiful warm day with a gentle breeze  and it had broken his heart to leave her. It had also broken his heart to break his promise

He had promised to return to her and hold his child in his arms.

Hearing Jon say those words to him had brought  his own words to his mind yet again. He had great intentions, he had meant to return to Lyanna, but sadly it seemed that the gods had other plans. He did not get a chance to know his son as he grew from a babe to a man, and he never got to see his Lady Lyanna again.

He knew that Jon and Daenerys meant well, and perhaps, their situations were not truly alike. After all, they now had dragons on their side. However they were facing a danger that any of their dragonlord ancestors had ever faced, Robert Baratheon was one thing, but the White Walkers were entirely another kind of evil. The risk was too great, they did not know how much their children needed them.

He took a deep breath, and pushed open the door to the Maester’s towers. Inside he found his old  confidant, Maester Aemon with one of his helpers.

“Prince Rhaegar,” the old Maester said as soon as he shuffled into the room.

“Maester Aemon, how are you?”

“I am well, as well as a man of my age can be,” Aemon said. “But you seem troubled,”

“I am,” Rhaegar said quietly, but then he paused when he saw the other man in the room

“Clydas, would you mind giving my nephew and  me the room please?” Maester Aemon asked and the Night’s watch brother nodded before leaving the room. Once he was gone, Rhaegar turned to Aemon

“I am worried about them,” Rhaegar said quietly. “I think they are making a mistake, and underestimating the risks,”

“They are the King and Queen, they have a duty to protect the people,” Aemon said after a while

“They also have to remember themselves and their children,” Rhaegar reminded him. “This mission is too dangerous for them, they have too much to lose.  They have to think of their children, Daeron and Lyanna need their parents, ”

“Everyone has something to lose,” Aemon said after a moment and Rhaegar paused. He had experienced what it was like to lose everything after his failure on the  T rident. He had lost his throne, his family and nearly his life. After meeting Daenerys and Jon he had gained it back again, but they did not know the risks. They did not know the pain  that they would put their children through if they failed on this mission.

“We live in perilous times and the people of Westeros need their King and Queen, now more than ever. However, you don’t have the power to overrule them,” Aemon answered and Rhaegar nodded sadly.

“There  are still things that I can do to help them, make sure they don’t get into danger,” Rhaegar said quietly as he rubbed his hands together. “Thank you Maester Aemon,”

“My pleasure,” he replied with a smile

“I do have one more request,” Rhaegar said slowly, “Do you have anything that will help me sleep tonight? I have difficulty sleeping before a big battle and I will need all of my wits to help Jon and Daenerys tomorrow,”

“Clydas will give you a bottle,” Aemon said  after a long pause . Rhaegar nodded before he turned to the door. “Good luck, my nephew,”

Rhaegar smiled at his old mentor, before leaving the room

  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  


_ Rhaegar was sitting in the  _ _ Red Keep _ _ with baby Lyanna in his lap. She was only a few months old now  _ _ but Rhaegar already loved this little girl with all of his heart. _ _ They had only recently returned to Kings Landing from Winterfell following Robb’s Starks wedding to the Lady Margaery Tyrell. Lyanna had been born in Winterfell during the trip, and the little girl had the traditional Stark look, apart from her lovely violet eyes.  _

_ Rhaegar tickled her stomach gently and the little babe laughed and giggled. Just then the door opened and her older brother burst into the room _

_ “Grandpapa!” he exclaimed as he ran over to him. He was out of breath and Rhaegar had a feeling he had been running from his mother. _

_ “Hello Daeron,” he said as he ruffled his silver hair “How are you today?” _

_ “Good,” the little boy said with a smile. Then he peered over to look at his sister. “Hello Lya,” _

_ His sister didn’t answer, she only looked up at him and smiled a little _

_   
_ _ “Mama says Lya can’t talk,” Daeron said quietly _

_ “That’s right Daeron, she’s only a baby” Rhaegar said gently. _

_ “When  _ _ then _ _?” Daeron asked and Rhaegar chuckled lightly _

_ “In a few months Daeron. Then you will be able to talk with your sister,” _

_ Daeron smiled and clapped his hands in excitement and surprisingly Lyanna copied him. She clapped her small hands together and Daeron giggled. _

_ “Well done Lya,” Rhaegar said softly as he tickled her stomach. Lyanna smiled before the door opened and Dany walked in. _

_ “There you are Daeron, it’s time to bathe,” she said as she held out her hand. Daeron blushed before shaking his head. Rhaegar smiled, Dany had probably been chasing him to get him to bathe _

_ “I want to to play with Lya!” Daeron protested _

_ “I know my dear,” Dany said gently. “But after you bathe, we can all spend some time together with Lyanna. Is that  _ _ fine, _ _ sweetling?” _

_ Daeron nodded whilst Lyanna squirmed towards her mother. _

_ “Rhaegar, can you continue to watch her whilst I bathe Daeron please?” she asked and Rhaegar nodded eagerly _

_ “Of course, I love spending time with this little one,” Rhaegar answered, Dany smiled before escorting Daeron out of the room. Little Lyanna started to fuss after her mother left but Rhaegar gently rocked her and Lyanna soon settled down. _

_ He looked into her lovely purple eyes and gently kissed her on the nose _

_ “I love you Lyanna,” he whispered before he opened his mouth to sing her a little song. _

  
  


* * *

 

Rhaegar remembered that day clearly, it was one of the first days that he had sung for his granddaughter, and Lyanna had loved it. It was one thing that he did to calm her down and it worked every time. He missed both of his grandchildren, he had been writing a song for them both and he looked forward to playing it to them

Rhaegar shook his head as he looked forward again. He and Caraxes were flying far to the North, he had tasked his dragon with finding the ancient weirwood tree where Bran Stark was. Jon and Daenerys would be leaving the following morning, and Rhaegar’s plan was to find Bran first and bring him back to the  W all before they could do that.

To help him with this endeavour, he had slipped a few drops of sleeping draughts into their drink, which would give him more time.  Hopefully, they would sleep long into the following day.

They had been flying for hours now, over league after league of frozen lands. Rhaegar imagined that these lands would look quite beautiful if the snows melted, but he knew that was something he would not see in this lifetime

At the last moment, Caraxes cried out before angling his wing to the left, Rhaegar peared over his great scaled wing and then he saw it.

A massive weirwood tree stood alone in the middle of the lands North of the Wall, this had to be it. Caraxes roared loudly before slowly starting to make his descent. Rhaegar braced himself against the cold winds that whipped across his face like ice cold daggers. Soon enough Caraxes landed gently on the  powder like  snow.

Rhaegar immediately jumped off the side and started to march up the  steep  slope towards the ancient weirwood tree. It was bitterly cold and the wind made it even worse.

“In here!” he heard a voice call and he instinctively went towards it. He continued to climb the slope before suddenly stumbling forward into a dark low tunnel

“This way, Prince Rhaegar,” a voice said as a torch was held aloft. Rhaegar’s eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light.

“Who are you?” Rhaegar asked softly as he looked down

“I am Leaf, one of the last remaining members of the  C hildren of the  F orest,” she said in a clear voice and Rhaegar’s eyes widened in amazement. He couldn’t believe it, he thought that the Children of the forest had long since left this world.

“We don’t have much time,” Leaf said as she hurried through the tunnels on her light feet. Rhaegar stumbled after her, taking care to duck his head. Eventually they entered a large cavern so to speak with several thick weirwood roots running through it.

He immediately saw Bran Stark to his left wrapped around a Weirwood branch. At his feet lay a great Direwolf with silvery grey fur and startling yellow eyes. Bran it seemed did not notice him, as his eyes were rolled back as he held tightly onto the weirwood Branch

“Prince Rhaegar,” he heard a woman say, he turned to see a young girl, younger than both Jon and Daenerys, walking towards him

“My name is Meera Reed, daughter of Howland Reed, Lord of Greywater Watch,” the girl said and Rhaegar nodded. He remembered the name Howland Reed, Lyanna had told him about him at the tourney he had called all of those years ago.

“It is nice to meet you Meera,” Rhaegar said with a gentle smile which Meera returned.

“That is Bran,” she said as she pointed to the boy who was still grasped onto the weirwood branch

“Prince Rhaegar,” he heard a thin raspy voice call. Rhaegar’s eyes moved towards the middle of the room and he saw an old man seemingly imbedded in the root. “Do you know who I am?”

“No,” Rhaegar answered after a brief moment.

“I am Brynden Rivers,” the old man said and Rhaegar’s eyes widened in amazement. He had heard about the legendary spymaster Bloodraven and his feud with Bittersteel. He remembered that Bloodraven had been sent to the  W all by Aegon V Targaryen, but that had been many many years ago

“But how?” Rhaegar asked, how was this man still alive

“The power of the Old Gods have managed to preserve me longer than normal, nephew,” Brynden said “But we do not have much time. The day of our destiny is now upon us,”

Rhaegar swallowed nervously before nodding slowly

“Are the White Walkers coming?” he asked and Brynden slowly nodded his head. “Then tell me what you need me to do,”

“You need to get Brandon south of the  W all, along with  this horn ,” Brynden said. Rhaegar turned and saw Leaf slowly walking towards him, clutching a small item wrapped in a brown cloth. “That is the  H orn of Winter, it is of utmost importance that the Night King does not acquire it,”

Rhaegar nodded slowly as he took the item from Leaf. He slowly uncovered it and then observed it. It was branded with bronze but otherwise looked unremarkable. Rhaegar frowned, was this it?

“Yes it is rather plain, but it is the real thing, I can assure you of that,” Lord Brynden said.

“Why?” Rhaegar asked. “Why are you doing this?”

“The world had forgotten about the threat of the White Walkers, and without intervention, humanity would have seen dark days. I needed to find someone and train them, to help guide humanity through it,”

“Why him? Why this boy?” Rhaegar asked as he pointed towards Bran

“He has the blood of the  First Men and the old Kings of Winter. He is a warg, and an immensely powerful one at that, even if he does not know it yet. He has been blessed with the gift of  G reensight as well. Brandon Stark is the perfect person to rid the world of the White Walkers for good,”

“How will  he do that?” Rhaegar asked

“Bran knows, he has all the answers, you all need to trust him,” Bloodraven said and Rhaegar nodded. At that moment, Bran made a loud gasping noise as he sat up.

While at the same time , Rhaegar heard a loud gasping noise coming from Bran who had seemingly awoken

“He’s here,” he burst out. “The Night King is here,”

“How? He was in Hardhome only a few days ago?” Rhaegar asked in confusion.

“The Night King has magical powers ,  nephew. I have managed to hide this cave for years, but he knows where it is now, perhaps he is strong enough to break the magical wards protecting us,” Bloodraven said quietly. “There is no use debating them, it is now time to act,”

“I can fly out of here with Caraxes,” Rhaegar said immediately

“No, he has too many soldiers with him,” Bran said. “We will need a distraction,”

“I can help with that,” Leaf said as she stepped forward. “The  C hildren of the  F orest have magic of their own,”

Rhaegar nodded slowly, before he turned to Bran. He handed the horn to him  as well as the bag contained supplies that he brought with him. He saw Bran slip the horn into the bag and hold it in his hand.

“Do I have to carry you?” Rhaegar bluntly asked and Meera shook her head.

“No ,  Hodor will have to do it,” she said as she scurried off into the caves, shouting after Hodor. Rhaegar shook his head before turning to Bloodraven

“Do you have any advice for me?” Rhaegar asked and Brynden paused before speaking

“Remember why you came here today Rhaegar Targaryen. When the time comes, you need to remember,”

Rhaegar, frowned but he did not have time to question Bloodraven further as Meera returned with Hodor following behind.

Hodor it turned out, appeared to be a half giant of a man, and as he walked over to Bran, Rhaegar understood that Hodor’s job would be to carry him

“You should take the tunnels. Gornes way is a series of secret passageways and tunnels that go from the lands far North of the  W all to the South. It is the safest route for you,” Bloodraven said and Rhaegar nodded

“I can send Caraxes back to the  W all and have him meet us on the other side,” Rhaegar offered but Bran shook his head

“No,” the boy said quietly. “We must go out through the back entrance ; it is the only way,”

Rhaegar looked at him and then nodded slowly. “If you say so, do you know the way?”

“Summer can lead us,” Bran said as he pointed towards his wolf.

“We better hurry,” Meera said as the cave began to shake. “It looks like a battle has started,”

“Hodor,” Hodor said as Bran settled into place on his shoulders.

“Follow Summer,” Bran says. “Summer knows the way,”

“Goodbye Lord Brynden,” Meera said as they headed out of the cave. Bloodraven didn’t reply, he only released a tired sigh.

They entered a series of cold dark tunnel and Rhaegar immediately went for his Valyrian steel blade. Meera was in the lead, holding the torch high as she followed summer. Hodor followed and Rhaegar brought up the rear.

The tunnels sloped downwards and Rhaegar had to frequently duck to dodge low hanging stalactites. He could see his breath freezing in front of him and he could faintly hear the sound of a river flowing beneath them. His feet crunched on old brittle bones as they carefully made their way through the tunnels.

Rhaegar was amazed that Bloodraven was able to survive down here for so long, there was no natural light in the caves and he was not sure that anything could grow down here. Perhaps he had been dining on mushrooms and fish from the river  that he had heard.

After what felt like an eternity, the tunnel finally started to slope upwards and eventually, they reached the trap door. Rhaegar managed to shimmy to the front, and then barge it open. They clambered out into the pale sunlight and light snowfall.

Rhaegar immediately looked around and was shocked by what he saw. Caraxes had taken off again and his dragon was busy wheeling in the air. He watched as Caraxes swooped low and released a blast of pale golden flame on a swarthe of the enemy. To the south, he saw the  C hildren of the  F orest fighting as well, holding them off.

Rhaegar realised that they only had a small opportunity to make their escape and so he closed his eyes to reach for Caraxes and plead for him to land. He opened his eyes and looked up.

Caraxes took another low pass before he landed just to the North of them

“Run!” Rhaegar yelled as he took off into a sprint. They ran across the snow covered ground towards Caraxes who was swinging his long tail in a wide arc, swatting them away.

They had covered half the ground when Rhaegar heard a loud noise coming from his left. He turned his head and he noticed that a trio of White Walkers were riding towards them, trying to intercept their path.

He heard Hodor skid to a hall and Rhaegar cursed.

“Go!” he yelled as he drew his sword. “Get to Caraxes!”

“No! You have to come with us, we can’t control him!” Meera shouted as she stood rooted to the spot.

“Warg him!” Rhaegar answered. “Just go! We can’t afford to argue,”

He saw Meera run off towards his dragon and Rhaegar turned his attention to the White Walkers again. He saw that one had broken off towards him and he gritted his teeth and got low in his stance.

He remembered listening to Jon describing his fight with a White Walker, Jon had said that they had been inhumanely quick and Rhaegar knew he would have to watch out for that

The White Walker rode towards him on his horse, seemingly intent on running him over with it. Rhaegar just sunk lower and waited. He could see the White Walkers cold blue eyes piercing into him as the Walker got closer and closer. He lowered his sword and aimed it towards Rhaegar’s heart like a knight would do at a joust.

Rhaegar waited until the last possible moment and then he ducked under the translucent blade. At the same time, he pointed his sword up and dragged it along the side of the undead horse. Rhaegar grunted as he pulled through and killed the horse.

The White Walker was thrown from his mount and into the snow and Rhaegar knew this was his opportunity to pounce. He ran over to him, and before the White Walker could recover, Rhaegar drove his Valyrian steel blade hard into his stomach and the Other almost instantly shattered to dust

Rhaegar stepped back and looked around and his stomach fell at what he saw.

The other White Walkers had stopped and were now looking at him. They looked angry at the fact that another of the generals had died and Rhaegar swallowed nervously before looking around.

He saw more of their soldiers had overrun the area and they were now starting to close in on him, then he looked forward to Caraxes. Meera and Bran had made it to the dragon and they were now waiting for him.  Rhaegar saw the bag of supplies that he had brought in the snow a few paces behind them.

“Rhaegar please!” Meera shouted and Rhaegar took a step forward. Almost as soon as he did that, the White Walkers moved and positioned themselves so that they stood directly between Rhaegar and Caraxes blocking his path. Rhaegar looked at the one he guessed was the Night King, who had stepped off his shadowcat to walk towards him.

As the Night King walked towards him, Rhaegar’s heart sunk. His mind flashed back to important moments in his life. He remembered the day he had first learned of the  P rince that was  P romised. He remembered his marriage to Elia, Rhaenys and Aegon. He remembered seeing Lyanna that first day at the tourney he had called, he remembered their wedding, their wonderful honeymoon as they travelled south through the lands. He remembered the fateful day of the trident where he thought he had lost it all.

He remembered heading to Essos and finally meeting Viserys and Daenerys again. Then he remembered  finally  meeting Jon and the following adventure.  He was so proud of both Jon and Daenerys, so so proud. He thought of his grandchildren, precious Daeron and the lovely Lyanna,  two children who he would give anything to protect. They brought a smile to his face even now.

Finally he thought of Lyanna again, she had said that he would know his time when it came, and Rhaegar knew it was now. This was the weirwood tree from his dreams

He closed his eyes and said goodbye to Caraxes who let out an anguished roar before taking off into the sky,  he could feel his dragon’s pain, perhaps Bran had already warged into him.   Then he opened his eyes again and stared at the Night King

“My name is Rhaegar Targaryen, son of Aerys and Rhaella. The Prince of Dragonstone,” Rhaegar said in a loud clear voice. The Night King did not seem to acknowledge his words, he only moved for his own sword, a long translucent blade that Rhaegar knew was razor sharp. He raised a hand towards his generals and made a gesture and Rhaegar smiled. He wanted a one on one.

 

“Dance with me then,” Rhaegar said as he lifted his sword  for the final time. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is called 'Sorrow'
> 
> Let me know what you think of this one, comments are always appreciated  
> Thanks for reading 
> 
> Sleepy


	7. Sorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story
> 
> I will come back and fix the formatting
> 
> Updates are slower...but I do plan on finishing

 

**The King of Westeros**

 

Jon woke up with Daenerys in their room at Eastwatch. It was the day of the mission, the mission beyond the Wall to save Bran. He felt that they had a good plan, and with three dragons, he was confident that they would succeed. He knew that his father did not approve of the plan, but eventually he had come around.

 Both he and Dany had gone to bed early the night before, they had both felt tired and Jon had guessed it was due to their exersions over the previous few days. He gently sat up in bed and groaned as he clutched his ribs. That noise caused Dany to stir and she slowly rolled over to look at him.

 “What time is it?” she asked, her voice still heavy with sleep.

 “I guess it’s still in the morning,” Jon said as he looked around the room. Their candles had long since gone out and only a small amount of sunlight crept through the shutters over the window.

 “How are you feeling?” she asked as she sat up next to him in bed. Her soft hands went to his ribs and Jon tried hard not to wince.

 “I’ve been better, but I can manage today,” he said as he gritted his teeth. He was determined to get on with this mission and save Bran, the pain in his ribs be damned. “Let’s get up and get ready,”

 Jon pushed the covers off the bed and swung his feet onto the ground and bit back another stabbing pain.

 “Jon,” he heard Dany say as she put a hand on his shoulder. He stopped and turned to face her, her face a frown. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said softly and Jon froze.

 “Why not?” he asked as a frown formed on his face.

  
“Maybe Rhaegar was right. You’re already hurt and this mission is very risky. Perhaps, the risks outweigh the gains,” she said quietly and Jon scowled.

 “So you want me to leave Bran out there to die?” he asked quietly and Dany leaned back.

 “No, that’s not what I said,” she said defensively “I think -”

 “Then what do you suggest we do?” Jon asked as he interrupted her.

 “I think we need a new plan,” Dany said.

 “Then why did you not say that earlier?” Jon asked as frustration crept into his voice. “Why would you not say anything?”  
  
“Because I thought it could work! I thought that you would have healed sufficiently by now but you haven’t. You’re still in a lot of pain Jon. As much as you try to hide it, you can’t hide it from me,”  
  
“I can still go through with the mission,” Jon said as he stood up.

 “No, you can’t, Jon, you’re too hurt. You can’t even fight,” Dany said as she watched him wince. “You couldn’t even beat me in a fight, let alone a White Walker,”

 “I’ll be with Vedros in the sky, I won’t need to fight a Walker,” Jon said and Dany just shook her head.

 “What if something goes wrong and you need to be on the ground? What then?”

She asked and Jon shrugged.

 “I’ll make do,” he said,

 “That’s not a good enough answer, Jon,” she said firmly. “I know you want to save Bran, but this plan isn’t good enough. It’s too risky,”

 “Too risky for me,” Jon said quietly. “I can’t ask for someone else to risk their life doing something that I wouldn’t,”

 “Then let’s think of a better plan,” Dany answered. “Let’s find Rhaegar, Robb and the others and then come up with a new, better plan,”

 Jon sighed before he nodded, conceding her point. As his ribs were still causing him pain, Dany helped him to dress, before they both left the room.

 As it turned out, it was much later in the day than Jon had thought. They had missed breakfast and lunch was being served in the Great Hall by the time they arrived. They entered and immediately looked around. They saw Robb with Ser Loras, as well as Ser Jorah and other members of the Night’s Watch. However, he did not see his father.

 “Where is my father?” Jon asked as he took his seat at the high table with Dany to his right.

 “I haven’t seen him all day,” Ser Loras said

 “I think he went to bed early as well,” Robb added. “I didn’t see him for the evening meal either,”

 “Well. Send someone to search for him, we need to discuss a change of plan,” Jon said. “My injuries mean that we can no longer go ahead,”  
  
He saw a Night’s Watch brother walk off to complete his task but before Jon could start his lunch, he heard the roar of a dragon followed by a loud thumping sound.

 “Sounds like Caraxes,” Dany said immediately. “Perhaps, Rhaegar went for a flight to help clear his mind; I know he does that sometimes,”

 “Fine then, let’s go and meet him and tell him we’ve changed our plans,” Jon said as he stood up. His breakfast could wait until later, if anything he would eat whilst they discussed their new plan.

 He followed Dany and Ser Loras out of the Great Hall and out into the colder corridors. They made their way out into the courtyard and made their way south towards Caraxes. As they got closer, they began to hear the panicked voices of several men and Jon grew concerned.

 “What’s happening here?” he asked as he made his way through the crowd. Caraxes had landed in the middle of a snow drift and Jon could see that they were hesitant to get near him. He made his way to the front and the sight before him caused him to freeze in place.

 “Bran?” Jon asked in bewilderment. He saw his long lost brother tucked into Caraxes’s side. His hair was long and wild but Jon recognised him all the same. He ran up the snowpile and quickly enveloped him into a hug.

 “Bran. I’ve missed you so much,” Jon said as he hugged him. Surprisingly, Bran did not hug him back and Jon pulled away to look at him. His eyes looked distant and Jon frowned.

 “Bran?” he asked “Are you all right, Bran? How did you get here?” Jon looked at Bran who still didn’t show much emotion

 “Prince Rhaegar came to get us,” a young girl said and Jon looked up at her.

 “Where is he?” Dany asked and Jon saw the young girl shake her head.

 “The White Walkers came for us,” the girl said quickly. “He stayed behind to hold them off so we could escape,”

 “He stayed behind?” Dany asked quietly as the words slowly registered in his brain.

 “I’m sorry,” the girl said as she nodded her head. “I’m so sorry. He sacrificed himself for us,”

 Jon shook his head. It didn’t make sense. Why would his father do this? Why would he go out on his own?

 Then a wave of understanding dawned on him.

 Rhaegar had never wanted him to go, he had always thought the plan was too risky yet Jon had insisted with it. Rhaegar had gone and risked his life so that Jon wouldn’t, and he had given his life for it.

 He looked around at the crowd. Several men were shaking their heads whilst others muttered words of condolence to him. Jon struggled to process what they were saying, it didn’t seem real.

 Guilt washed over him as he cupped his head in his hands. He should have listened. What kind of son did not listen to his father? How could he do this? This was all his fault.

 He felt the ground shake nearby and he finally opened his eyes. Anogar had landed and he could faintly see Dany climbing onto his back.

 “Dany,” he croaked. His body felt numb as he walked around. “Don’t go,” but she didn’t hear him. Instead, Anogar took off again with a sad cry. Jon looked up at her as she took off to the South. He wondered where she was going, Winterfell? Kings Landing? Dragonstone?

 Then he decided to follow her.

 “We will be back later,” was all he said as he stumbled forward. Vedros quickly landed and Jon automatically climbed onto her back, not truly processing what he was doing.

 It was only when they were up in the air and flying did Jon release his tears

 His father was dead, and he only had himself to blame for it.

  


**The Queen of Westeros**

 

Dany flew on the back of Anogar as her dragon carried her away. Anogar took her away from the Wall, he took her away from her grief.

 

Rhaegar was dead. Poor sweet Rhaegar, was gone. He was the first person to look after her and care for her as a person. She had been born with two brothers and now she had lost them both.

 The tears fell freely along her face and she only just managed to wipe them away with her sleeve. How could it go so horribly wrong for them?

 She sniffled and peered over the side of Anogar, wondering where he was taking her. She hadn’t given him any direction when they had left Eastwatch.

 A part of her wondered if Rhaegar had survived, but then she remembered that there was no way Caraxes would have left him behind if he had. As if to reaffirm her thoughts, Anogar gave a low sad rumble. Dany sniffled again as Anogar took her lower this time. She took another look over the side and then she finally knew where she was heading. In her grief, she had lost track of time and surroundings completely.

 Anogar had taken her home, to Daeron and Lyanna, her sweet little babies.

 “Thank you my friend,” she said softly as Anogar circled low over the Red Keep. Anogar landed gently in the main courtyard and Dany quickly climbed off his back to head inside. She passed several of the guardsmen who all seemed surprised to see her. Dany realised that they probably saw that her eyes were red and puffy but thankfully they did not stop to question her.

 She climbed up the marble steps and headed down the long corridor before pushing upon the large double doors. Inside, she saw them both playing with their aunts.

 “Mama!” Daeron shouted as he jumped up the floor and ran over to her. Dany smiled and crouched and scooped him up into a hug.

 “Mama, I miss you!” Daeron said into her hair and Dany nodded

 “I missed you too, sweetling. I missed my sweet baby boy,” she whispered as she held him close. After a moment she felt a brief tugging on the bottom of her dress and she looked down to see Lyanna had crawled over to her. She was wearing a pretty little dress that Sansa had made for her. Her daughter held her arms up expectantly as she looked at Dany with wide purple eyes and then she did something Dany did not expect.

 “Mama,” Lyanna said quietly, so quietly but Dany was sure that she didn’t hear her, but she did. She saw her lips move.

 “Lya?” Dany whispered as she bent down towards her. “Did you call for me?”

 “Mama,” Lyanna repeated and this time tears of happiness fell down her face. Dany picked her up and peppered her sweet little face with kisses.

 “When did she learn to do that?” Dany asked as she looked up

 “Apparently just now,” Sansa said with a smile. “She hasn’t said a word to either of us,”

 “Mama!” Lyanna repeated as she demanded her attention, she spoke louder this time. Dany smiled and she kissed her daughter again before tickling her.

 “Yes Lya, Mama is here now,” she said softly and this seemed to please the little girl who started to giggle.

 “Mama. Lya talking?” Daeron asked and Dany nodded. Daeron smiled and then clapped his hands.

 “Lya. Say Daeron,” Daeron said to his sister. Dany watched as Lya turned to him and lean forward

 “Da!” Lya blurted out after a moment and Dany smiled

 “Daeron,” he said

“Da!” Lya answered and Dany laughed

 “She’s going to learn your name soon,” Dany said soothingly as she rubbed his back. She smiled at both of her children before giving them both another set of kisses.

 “Mama, where Papa?” Daeron asked and Dany frowned. She had left Jon at the Wall, she had guessed that he would follow her, but apparently she was wrong.

 “Papa is busy, sweetling,” she said after a moment.

 “I miss Papa,” Daeron said sadly “And Grandpapa,”

 Dany bit her lip as her tears threatened to return, she couldn’t tell him not yet. He was still her little boy, it was much too soon. Instead she picked him up and gave him a hug.

 “I miss him too,” Dany said quietly as she rocked him. For these last few moments she had forgotten about her brother’s death. Now, she understood why Anogar had brought her home, she needed to see these two precious little ones that she loved with all of her heart.

 “Mama loves you very much Daeron and so does Papa and Grandpapa,” she told him softly. “How about, we spend the day together. You, me and Lya. We can have a picnic and play some games,”

 Daeron smiled and nodded.

“Yay!” he said as he clapped his hands. Dany had not spent a day with her children in far too long. This is what she needed to take her mind of her loss. She picked up Lyanna and let Daeron walk along with her but before she left the room. Tyrion entered.

 “Your grace,” he said immediately as he bowed. “I did not expect you to be here so soon,”

 “I missed my children so I came home,” Dany said quickly. Tyrion nodded slowly but Dany could see his eyes studying her face

 “Your grace, is everything alright? How is the King?,”

 “Jon is well,” Dany answered quickly

 “And Prince Rhaegar?” Tyrion asked and Dany winced but didn’t answer. Tyrion’s eyes widened in understanding and Dany tapped Daeron on the shoulder.

 “Come on sweetling, let’s play some games,” she said quietly as she hurried out of the room, praying they didn’t see the tears forming in her eyes

  
  


**The Sands of Dorne**

 

The Bells tolled in Sunspear. They tolled for the late Prince Doran Martell, who had passed away late last night. Obara had been told that his death was quick. After his evening meal he had gone to bed early as he was feeling unwell and just before midnight he had called for the maester as his symptoms worsened.

 She and her sisters had not been idle when this had all occurred. They had been hard at work convincing Trystane Martell to do what his father refused to do, and that was to rally Dorne to avenge her father. It had been a lot of work, but it appeared they had been sucsessful. Trystane had been willing to call the Lords and discuss a plan to return Arianne to Sunspear. It was not exactly what they had hoped for, but it was better than nothing.

 However, Obara still needed help with the other part of their plan. They needed leverage over the Targaryens and she could not think of any. The Targaryens had more gold than Dorne could offer and they had a supply of food from the Reach and Essos if necessary. She needed help with this, and she was going to get it.

 She walked through one of the poorer areas of Sunspear, thankfully, there weren’t many people on the streets and so Obara was able to quickly hurry to her destination. She darted through narrrow alleyways and through dark backstreets before slipping inside of a window and into the back of a tavern.

 She kept her hood low over her face as she took a seat in the back corner of the room. The owner, an old aged woman, came over to her and Obara ordered some tea in order to not arouse suspicion. The owner returned with her tea and Obara sat it on the table in front of her as she settled into wait.

 Her tea had gone cold and was largely untouched by the time he arrived.

 “You’re late,” Obara hissed as he sat down opposite her

 “Forgive me, but I am not quite as familiar with Sunspear as you would have thought, and I am also a wanted man in Westeros” Lord Varys said in a disguised voice. “What is it?”

 “We need leverage,” Obara said quietly as she lowered her voice

 “Leverage?” Varys repeated. “What for?”

 “To get Ari back. Prince Doran told me that even if we managed to get every single Dornish spear under our control and march them to the gates of Kings Landing, there is nothing we could do, as Ari is still their hostage,” Obara said in a hushed voice. She saw Varys nod slowly as he fell quiet.

 “It is simple really,” the Spider answered after a moment. “You need leverage that is strong enough to bring the Targaryens to their knees. There are only two things in the world that can do that,”

 “And they are?”

 “Their children of course,” Varys said simply and Obara froze. She had not considered this, but it didn’t make sense.

 “How?” Obara asked. “They are children locked away in the Red Keep surrounded by Kingsguards and dragons,” she asked but her mind focused on those few words. _They were children_

 “I spent over 20 years in that castle, I know every secret passage that castle has, no one is more knowledgeable in this matter than me,” Varys said as Obara sat their emotionlessly. “As for the dragons, it is simple. We draw them out of the castle, and then slip in through the tunnels and take their children. It’s flawless really,”

 Obara sat there for a few moments as Varys basked in the glow of his plan.

 “How old are they?” Obara asked quietly

 “The children? The Prince should be nearly 3, whilst the girl, a year at most,” Varys said simply as he sat back. He must have noticed the frown on her face. “You want your cousin back, yes?”

 “I do,” Obara said quietly.

 “Then this is the price you must pay. You have to get your hands dirty in order to get her back, Obara, this is the price you must pay to avenge your father,”

 She noticed that his tone had grown hard as he said that and she found herself slowly nodding.

 “Good. Now carry on with your plan, I have my men in place to begin the next phase, I will be in touch with further instructions,” Varys said as he stood up and swept out of the room.

 Obara found herself looking at the cold cup of tea after he left.

 Varys was right, this _was_ incredible leverage, she had to keep reminding herself of that. She was doing it for her father, and for Ari.

 

**The Dragon’s Hand**

 

Tyrion was seated in his office in the Tower of the Hand and stared out of his window. From his tower, he could see all the way across Kings Landing and out over the Blackwater bay. It was a cloudy day and a chilly one at that, and it seemed that the clouds had covered the castle.

 Tyrion was not sure what exactly had happened in the North, but he knew that it was serious. He knew that it was serious enough that it forced Daenerys to return home in a hurry with her face a mess.

 He suspected that Rhaegar Targaryen was dead, although how that happened, he was not sure. He would miss him, he had been a great help politically as he understood many of the relations between houses that had developed before Tyrion’s time.

 Still, Tyrion knew that he could not afford to be sentimental at the moment, his King and Queen would need him now, especially after their loss. He would have to take more responsibilities on during this time.

 He heard a knock on his door and he quickly called out

 “Enter,” Tyrion called and he saw his brother walk into the room. Jaime was dressed in his white Kingsguard garb, complete with Valyrian steel sword. Tyrion smiled before heading over to the window to pour him a drink of wine.

 “What happened?,” Jaime asked as he took a seat opposite him. “I see that the Queen has returned with no sign of the King or Prince Rhaegar  and to make matters worse, I’ve heard stories that the Queen was visibily distressed when she arrived,”

 “We’ll need to stop those stories from spreading,” Tyrion muttered as he took a sip of Dornish Red. “As for what happened, the details are unclear. It appears that Prince Rhaegar has died somewhere North, and this is what has gotten our Queen upset. As for the King, I have no idea where he is,”

 “Rhaegar is dead?” Jaime asked quietly and Tyrion nodded. “How?”

 “I don’t know,” Tyrion answered. “Perhaps, the situation with the King Beyond-the-Wall was more serious than they expected although I am just speculating,”  
  
“Shit,” Jaime said quietly. “Who else knows?”  
  
“At the moment, only a few. Ser Barristan knows, as do the Ladies Sansa, Arya and Missandei. I think that the best course of action is to keep this information as secure as possible until we know how the royal family want to handle it,”  
  
“Where is the Queen now?” Jaime asked

 “With the children somewhere in Maegor’s holdfast, I believe. Ser Barristan took it upon himself to guard him,”

 “I should relieve him. Or at least Brienne should. Barristan was good friends with Rhaegar, I’m sure he would like some time to grieve,”

 “If you can get him to agree to it, then go ahead,” Tyrion said as he watched Jaime stand. “Whilst we are on the topic of children, I have had an idea,”  
  
“You are finally taking a woman to wife?” Jaime asked with a hint of a smile and Tyrion just rolled his eyes

 “No. I was thinking about Tommen and Myrcella. I was thinking of writing to them and having them to organise the Lannister Army once again,”

 “Why is that?” Jaime asked

 “Something has happened in the North and a member of the royal family has been lost. When news of that gets out, our enemies might think that we are weak, and try to make a move,”

 “I would argue that the most foolish time to pick a fight with a dragon is when they are licking their wounds,” Jaime said

 “I’d argue that there is no good time to fight with a dragon,” Tyrion said as he shook his head. “But I think we should be prepared, have the army ready just in case. Especially considering the fact that they have shipped nearly all of their Unsullied forces North,”

 “That is true,” Jaime said as he scratched his chin. “I will speak to my sworn brothers as well. We will have to be extra vigilant around them,”

 “Good,” Tyrion said “Take care, Jaime,” he added before his brother left his solar. Tyrion paused before heading back to the pile of papers at his desk. He was in the midst of a series of correspondances with Prince Doran of Dorne, however Doran had not replied for several days now.

 This could be something as simple as a lost raven, although Tyrion was in a rather pessimistic mood about things at the moment. He had heard of more reports of violence and vandalism around the city and with the Unsullied being shipped North, he was underhanded to deal with it. He had given the Commander of the City Watch some extra coin to hire more men to deal with it, but Tyrion had his doubts on just how effective that actually was.

 That was also one of the reasons he had been thinking of raising the banners and calling the Lannister army, if things in Kings Landing got much worse, then the Lannister Army could come in and help to enforce order and justice.

 Of course, he would need to run this by the Queen first, however he knew that she was not in the mood for it today.

  


**The Queen of Westeros**

 

Dany was in her room in the Red Keep as she watched over her children. They were both having a snack, she had given them both half a banana to eat. Since Lyanna was always eager to try and feed herself, Dany decided to let her baby girl try on her own this time.

 Dany was seated opposite Lyanna and held the bowl containing the small pieces of fruit. Whenever she was ready, she would come over and take a piece

 “Lyanna sweetling, you should put the food in your mouth,” Dany said as she watched Lyanna play with her food. As the banana was soft, she was able to crush it and as a result she got her hands and face messy. Dany smiled before pulling her over and picking up a cloth.

 “Daeron, what did you do when I was away?” Dany asked as she gently cleaned Lya’s face.

 “Play with Aunty Arya,” he said as he broke off another small piece.

 “What did you do?”

 “Aunty said we can look for cats,” Daeron said “Mama, can we look for cats?” he added hopefully but Dany shook her head

 “Not today sweetling,” she said quietly and Daeron frowned.”What else did you do?”

 “Aunty told me about animals,” Daeron continued

 “Really? What animals,” Dany asked as she finally intervened and held onto Lyanna before she could make even more of a mess. Lya fussed and fretted but Dany quickly calmed her with a few soothing words.

 “Like Dragons. Dragons go Roar!” Daeron said as he held his hands up enthusiastically which caused Dany to smile. He then told her about the cats, dogs and birds and he was enthusiastic about all of them. His lovely innocence and happiness made Dany feel immeasurably better.

 “Come on Daeron, cuddle with Mama,” she said as she opened up her arms for him. Daeron smiled before walking over to her and into her side. She held onto both of her children, taking in their smells before finally releasing a long drawn out breath.

 After a few moments, she heard the door open and she quickly lifted her head up to see Jon walk in.

 “Papa!” Daeron shouted as he tore himself away and ran over to him. Jon smiled before he bent down to scoop him up, she noticed that Jon was still wincing in pain. Even Lyanna started to twist and squirm and so Dany decided to stand and walk over to Jon.

 “Hello my son, I’ve missed you,” Jon said quietly as he hugged Daeron. Dany reached him and he opened his arms for Lyanna who eagerly went over to him. Jon held onto both of their children and Dany waited patiently.

 “Hi,” he said softly as he sat down on the bed.

 “How are you?” Dany asked quietly as she sat next to him. She balanced Daeron in her lap so Jon could focus on Lyanna.

 “I’m fine,” he said quietly and Dany could hear the hesitation in his voice. She gently reached out to give him a reassuring squeeze of the hand. “I just can’t help but feel like this is my fault,”  
  
“No, don’t say that,” Dany said quickly as she turned to him. “He knew what he was doing and he did it to protect us. So we could be here with them today,”

 “I know but it was my plan,” Jon said quietly and Dany could hear the pain in his voice.

 “I know it was, but you can’t blame yourself for this Jon, he wouldn’t want you to,” Dany said gently. Then with the confidence born by the hope her children gave her, she spoke again. “He would want us to keep fighting, to make sure it wasn’t for nothing,”

 She reached over to wrap around him and Jon held his neck in her shoulder. She heard him release a sob and Dany held him even tighter. She had never seen Jon like this, and she had no idea that he blamed himself for what had happened.

 “Dany I miss him so much,” Jon sobbed and Dany felt tears returning to her eyes. She held onto Jon for a few moments before she felt Daeron start to squirm between them and then she reluctantly broke apart.

 “Why you crying?” she heard Daeron ask and Dany shook her head

 “It doesn’t matter sweetling, everything is going to be alright. I promise,” she said as she held him close to her chest. “Just spend a day with these two,” Dany said quietly as she gently stroked Daeron’s silver hair. “Spend a day to remind yourself why we need to fight,”

 Jon nodded slowly as he rubbed his eyes.

 “Lya, why don’t you show Papa what you can do?” Dany said gently as she stared at her daughter. “Lya can you talk? Can you say Mama?”

 Dany watched her daughter smile before she opened her mouth “Ma! Mama!” Lyanna said and Dany watched as Jon’s face turned into a smile

 “Well done Lyanna,” he said as he turned her around to give her a kiss. “My beautiful baby girl is talking,”

 This brought on a series of giggles from Lyanna who then proceeded to babble away and make plenty of noise that filled their chambers

 “Aye, I think you’re right Dany,” Jon said. “But we can’t stay long, not after the way we left,”

 “Agreed, but we will spend the night together as a family,” she insisted as she looked into his storm grey eyes

 “Aye, as a family,”

  


**The Young Wolf**

 

Robb Stark stood on top of the wall at Eastwatch. He was looking towards the South side, in the direction that Jon and Daenerys had flew off.

 The moments following their departure had been sombre. Bran and the girl, Meera Reed had been taken away to be seen by the Maester. After that, the rest of the men ambled off aimlessly.

 With the Lord Commander dead and Jon and Daenerys gone there was a lack of leadership at the Wall. Ser Jorah had stepped up and assumed some responsibility, he made sure that the Wildlings were being moved through the wall and into the lands that are safe in the south.

 Ser Loras stood alongside him, as they stood on top of the Wall. Truthfully, Robb did not feel as if he knew his brother by marriage very well but that had been changing over the past few weeks. Loras was a good man, and Jon and Daenerys were lucky to have him as part of their guard.

 “Excuse me Ser Loras, I’m off to see my brother,” Robb said as he headed for the cage that would take them down the Wall again.

 “I’ll join you,” Loras answered as he quickly fell into step beside him.

 “When do you reckon they’ll be back?” Robb asked as they headed towards the Maester’s rooms.

 “Soon. They are grieving, Prince Rhaegar was Jon’s father and like a father figure to Daenerys. However they know that their duty is here,” Loras said firmly and Robb nodded. “They will not abandon us at the Wall,”

 “I know that. Although the situation is much worse than any of us could have imagined. Jon got Bran back but it cost him his father, I can’t imagine what he’s going through,”

 “Aye, neither can I,” Loras added. “I will keep an eye on them both when they return, and they will need all of our help, we can’t let them carry too much of this burden alone,”

 “Agreed,” Robb said as he reached the Maester’s door. He knocked twice, before entering the room

 Inside, he saw Bran and the girl he arrived with being treated by Eastwatch’s maester. Robb saw Maester Aemon was sat to one side near the fire.

 “Bran,” Robb said loudly, his brother turned to look at him, but Robb only saw a distant look in his eyes

 “Hello Robb,” he said

 “How are you Bran?, you’ve been gone for quite a while,” Robb said as he stepped towards him

 “I am well Robb. I went beyond the Wall to meet with the three eyed Raven,”

 “Who is the three eyed Raven?” Ser Loras asked

 “He was my tutor, and he helped me to learn the things that I needed to know in order to defeat the White Walkers,”

 “You know how to defeat the White Walkers?” Robb asked and Bran nodded. “How?”

 “It will not be easy, but there is a way,”

 “Can you explain it to us? Or do you want to wait for Jon and Daenerys?”

 “No. Jon and Daenerys are in Kings Landing, they will not return today,” Bran said and Robb paused. How did he know that?

 “I cannot explain it to you. The plan is difficult, it will require a lot of courage and many sacrifices will have to be made. If I tell you, you might interfere, and then it will all be for nothing,”

 “If we know the entire plan, then maybe we can make it better?” Loras suggested

 “No. You will change things and that can’t happen, there is only one way to do this,” Bran said and Robb frowned. His brother had changed, and Robb was concerned.

 “Bran, are you sure that you’re right about this?” Robb asked gently. “How can you be so sure?”

 Bran then turned to look at him, his eyes that were once so bright and vibrant were now cold and distant.

 “I know these things Robb. I know that you are married to his sister, Margaery Tyrell. You are expecting your first children together, twins,” Bran rattled off and Robb was startled

 “How do you know this?” Loras asked uncertainly

 “I was taught this before I had to leave Bloodraven’s cave,” Bran said and then Robb heard a sqeak coming from the girl

 “Bran, where is the Horn?” the girl asked as she stood up suddenly and searched her pockets

 “What Horn?” Robb asked as he watched her move in a panic around the room. “The Horn of Winter, the _real_ Horn of Winter. It was given to us by one of the Children of the Forest before we left. I saw Bran put it in a bag of supplies given to us by Prince Rhaegar,”

 “Is this the Horn that is supposed to knock down the Wall?” Robb asked and the girl nodded.

 “We had it, it’s only a small thing, insignificant really, but I know that we had it,”

 “It’s gone,” Bran said quietly

 “Gone? Gone where?” Robb asked

 “North of the Wall, it is the only way,” Bran said and Robb froze. Surely Bran was wrong, surely this could not be true.

 “Bran, why would you do that? You should have told us, warged into the dragon to take us back!” Meera shrieked as she shook her head

 “I did it, because it is the only way for us to survive,”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 is called "The Wall" and it should be out sometime in the next month. Let me know what you think of this one, comments are always appreciated.
> 
> Thanks for reading  
> Sleepy


	8. The Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story

  


**The King of Westeros**

  


Jon awoke early the following morning; he had been experiencing difficulty in sleeping as he dealt with the guilt of his father’s death. Despite Dany’s words, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that it was his fault. Had he not been so insistent on going to save Bran, then his father would still be alive.

 He sighed as he lifted himself up in bed. As they would have to leave today, Dany insisted that the children sleep with them. Daenerys and the children were still asleep. Daeron was cuddled into his mother whilst Lyanna slept closest to him. Dany had managed to put a pretty purple bow in Lyanna’s hair as she slept. He was so proud of his little girl, and hearing her first words was one of the few positives to come out of the torrid day that he had yesterday

 He gently stroked her soft raven hair as he watched her sleep, she was growing ever so quickly and Jon wished that he could stay in Kings Landing with her for a few more days. However, he sighed before slowly made his way out of bed. He quickly put on his robe and slippers before slowing making his way out of the room.

 “Good morning your grace,” he heard Brienne say from her post opposite their door.

 “Good morning,” Jon said quietly as he shuffled out into the hallway.

 “I am sorry for your loss,” she said quietly and Jon gave a weak smile in response before shuffling down the hallway. He decided to head to the Godswood, it would help him to think and clear his mind. He walked through the castle on silent feet until he reached the secluded area.

 He looked out over the Blackwater bay, the sky was a beautiful maroon colour as the sun slowly rose up from the east. In a few hours, ships from around the world would enter the harbour bringing their goods to the city. Jon wondered about the men on the ships, where they came from, what their relationship with their family was like

 Jon knew that he had been incredibly lucky to find his father again after all of those years, but he couldn’t help but wish they had more time together. All they had was three short years, when it should have been so much more. Rhaegar should have been there to see Daeron and Lyanna grow older, he should have been there to help teach them how to ride, or how to play the harp. All of that was lost because of his decision and because of his plan

 “Your grace,” he heard a sombre voice say, he turned and saw Ser Barristan standing behind him. Jon looked at him, his face was long and it looked as if he had not slept.

 “Ser Barristan,” Jon answered

 “I am sorry for your loss your grace. Prince Rhaegar was a good man, and an even better father,”

 “I know,” Jon said quietly “But it was my actions that led to his death,”

 “Why would you say that?” Ser Barristan asked

 “We heard a rumour that my brother, Bran Stark, was North of the Wall and I immediately wanted to rescue him. I came up with a plan that was both incredibly foolish and dangerous and my father didn’t agree with it. Instead of listening to him, I overruled him and insisted on going through with it. To save me from my own stupidity, he went instead and he died because of it. It is my fault,”

  


“No, your grace,” Ser Barristan said firmly. “It is not your fault. You were faced with a difficult choice, I don’t think your father would have expected you to leave Lord Brandon beyond the Wall. When he made the decision to go beyond the Wall, he was aware of the risks and the dangers. He would not want you to blame yourself for this,”

 Jon sighed before turning to look out over the waters again. The sun was further in the sky and he could hear the city waking up.

 Daenerys had said as much to him yesterday but the words still did not make him feel better, words alone would not be enough to wash away his guilt.

 “Thank you Ser Barristan,” Jon said quietly, the words felt hollow on his lips. Thankfully, Ser Barristan did not say anything else and Jon was able to watch the rest of the sunrise in silence.

 He returned to his chambers a little later to see that his family was awake. Daenerys was in bed reading for Daeron whilst Lyanna entertained herself with a toy, a stuffed wolf that Sansa had gotten for her.  She looked up at him and smiled before starting to crawl towards him. Jon quickly crossed over to her and picked her up and gave her a few gentle kisses. She started to bounce excitedly in his lap and Jon couldn’t help but lift her high to make her laugh and giggle.

 “Good morning Lya,” he said softly as he sat down on the bed. “Good morning Daeron, good morning Dany,”

 “Good morning Papa,” Daeron mumbled in a sleepy tone.

 “Morning Jon,” Dany said as she closed the book. “You look tired,”

 “Aye, I didn’t sleep too well,” Jon admitted as he gently tickled Lyanna. Dany pursed her lips but didn’t comment any further as she gently brushed Daeron’s hair with her fingers.

 “Give your father a hug Daeron,” Dany said after a moment and Daeron quickly crawled over to him and wrapped his small arms around his neck. Jon smiled and sighed as he hugged his two little children.

“Papa, look at Lya hair,” Daeron said as he pointed at the bow.

“Yes Daeron, your mother put a bow in your sisters hair, do you like it?” Jon asked and he watched as Daeron paused to observe his sister before nodding his head.

“He’s such a sweet little boy,” Dany said with a smile

“Mama,” he heard Lyanna call as he let go of them. Jon watched as she quickly crawled across the bed and over to her mother.

 “Yes Lya?” Dany asked as Lyanna reached her. Jon watched as Lyanna put her hands on her breasts before calling for her again.

 “What she doing?” Daeron asked in confusion as he looked at his baby sister

 “Oh, I think she wants to be fed,” Dany said with a smile.

 “Mama!” Lya repeated with more urgency and Jon couldn’t help but smile at her.

 “Soon you’ll have to start eating proper food,” Dany warned her as she playfully wagged a finger in her face. Lyanna didn’t seem to understand as she only kept looking up at her mother with wide purple eyes.

 Dany bit her lip before smiling and relenting.

 “Alright _P_ _rincess_ Lyanna, let’s get you fed,” she said softly and Lyanna smiled when she realised that she had won. “Jon, can you bathe Daeron and get him ready for breakfast please. I’ll bring Lya along when she’s finished,”

 “Come on Daeron,” Jon said as he picked him up. He was heavier than he remembered and his ribs were still sore “Baths and breakfast it is,”

  
  


* * *

 

 

After their baths and breakfasts, Jon and Daenerys led the children towards the Tower of the Hand where they would be having a meeting. Dany carried Lyanna whilst Daeron held onto her hand as they made their way towards the tower. They took their time, as Daeron still struggled with all of the stairs but Jon didn’t mind this.

 “Good morning Lord Tyrion,” Dany said as they entered the room. “And Good morning to everyone else here, thank you for joining us,”

 In the room were, Sansa, Arya and Missandei were there as well as the remainder of the Kingsguard. Dany stopped on one side of the room and then turned to address them all.

 “I am sure you have heard what happened whilst we went North. My brother, Prince Rhaegar, is no longer with us,” Dany began in a sad tone. “He died at the hands of the White Walkers, and the threat they pose is greater than we could have ever imagined,”

 Whilst she spoke, Jon looked around the room. Everyone had a sombre expression on their face, they all remembered his father fondly. On the other hand, he noticed that Daeron did not react to what his mother was saying, and this made Jon believe that he did not yet understand. His son was looking around the room, no doubt eager to explore this area that he had never been.

“We will be taking all of the remaining Unsullied from the city and have them sail North to White Harbour, along with as many Dothraki as we can carry,” Daenerys continued. “In the meantime, we are entrusting you with the city, and with our children,”

  
“Your graces, I should come with you,” Ser Barristan offered.

 “No, Ser Barristan. We already have Ser Loras and Ser Jorah as well as our dragons. We will be fine. It would set a mother’s heart at ease knowing that her children were being watched over by the best possible protectors,” Dany said firmly.

 “We would also appreciate it if you kept this news to yourself. We will make a proper announcement when we return after the threat has been dealt with,” Jon quietly added. He wasn’t ready for the world to know of his father’s death yet.

 “You said that the threat of the White Walkers is worse than you imagined, what do you mean by that? Do you have a plan?” Arya asked

 “We know that Dragonglass and Valyrian steel kills them,” Dany said. “We have Dragonglass being shipped North already and Jon has a Valyrian steel sword and blade. I believe our plan is to hold the Wall, and to use our dragons to burn and dwindle their numbers,”

 Jon nodded slowly as he heard her speak, it was as good a plan as any.

 “Your graces, you can rest assured that the city will be in good hands whilst you are away,” Tyrion said in a calm voice. “And I think we will all vow that not one hair on your children’s heads will be harmed in your absence. Although, I do think that you should heed Ser Barristan’s request. He is an experienced warrior, and he boasts a Valyrian steel blade, he is of more use in the North. I am sure that Ser Jaime and the Lady Brienne, as well as our newest recruits can guard the Prince and Princess well enough,”

 Dany pursed her lips before turning to him. Jon paused before slowly nodding his head in agreement.

 “Very well. Ser Barristan use this morning to prepare for this trip, collect anything you need and ensure that everyone knows their responsibilities whilst you are gone. We will leave after lunch, we can’t be away from the Wall much longer, we did not leave it in the best state,”

 Ser Barristan nodded and bowed before turning to leave.

 “Jon, do you have anything to add?” Dany said but he quickly shook his head, she gave him a concerned look but she didn’t comment on it further. “Very well, that is all, you are all free to go about your duties,” Dany said. Jon noticed Daeron shoot off towards Arya and Sansa and he couldn’t help but smile, at least his children would be in good hands.

  
  


**The Young Wolf**

  


Robb was stunned at the revelation his brother had laid on them. Not only was there a weapon that could take down the Wall, but now that weapon was in the hands of their enemy.

 “What are we going to do?” he whispered as they entered the hallway outside of the Maester’s room. Loras followed him out of the room, looking surprisingly unflustered.

 “Evacuate the Wall,” Loras said calmly. “Gather as many women and children as we can and march them south to Winterfell. I think that is the biggest castle in the North, we will have to use it as our new base,”

 “Aye, that makes sense,” Robb said as he ran a hand through his long auburn hair. “Although, that comes with its own risks and complications. There are women and children in Winterfell too. Margaery is pregnant, I can’t put her in danger,”

 “We will deal with that when the time arrives. Margaery will be safe, I will make sure of it,” Loras insisted. “However now, we need to act. You need to convince the rest of the Night’s watch to head south to Winterfell, along with the Wildlings,”

 “The Wildlings? They’ll never follow me, they barely follow Jon,” Robb said

 “Still, you have to try. The King and Queen aren’t here now, and we need to make this decision without them,” Loras reminded him and Robb nodded slowly.

 “We will have to act quickly. We don’t know how fast the White Walkers move, or how much range that weapon has. The sooner we act, the more people we can save,” Loras told him as they began to walk through the corridors.

 “Send a message to as many of the Night’s watch officers as you can find, tell them that we having an urgent meeting. If all goes well, hopefully we can start to march at first light,”

  
“That sounds good,” Loras said. “I will go and find Ser Jorah and update him on the situation,”

 “Very well, I’ll meet you in the hall in around an hour,” Robb said and Loras nodded before heading off. Robb took a deep sigh before running his hand through his hair. He would have to send a raven to his father at Winterfell to explain the situation, then, he would have to come up with a convincing speech to rally the Night’s watchmen and the Wildlings behind him. Loras was right, it would not be easy, but it had to be done.

  


* * *

 

  


It was a short while later and Robb found himself in the hall at Eastwatch as he looked down on the Night’s watch brothers. As they were so far North, the sun had already set and their hopes of an evening departure had been made fruitless. Instead, Robb focused on the task at hand.

 “My Lords,” Robb said as he rose to his feet. Some of the brothers looked very tired, and he didn’t blame them. They had had a very busy past few weeks, travelling to Hardhome and back as well as the fight against the White Walkers that they had.

 “As you all may know, today we lost Prince Rhaegar. As well as that my brother Bran Stark has returned and he has brought terrible news with him,” Robb said as he addressed the room. His eyes scanned across all of the faces until he found Mance Rayder.

 “Bran has informed us that the White Walkers possess a weapon that can cause the Wall to fall, Due to this new development, it is no longer safe to remain here, it is time for us to evacuate the Wall,” Robb said in a clear voice. After he spoke, a strange silence passed over the room. Every man looked at him as if he spoke in a foreign tongue, then seemingly all at once they all started to cry out their fears and questions.

 “A weapon to bring down the wall! Nonsense!”

 “You want us to evacuate the Wall? We are the Night’s Watch! This is our post!”

 “How do we know that we can trust him! He has been gone for years!”

 “My Lords!” Loras shouted as he began to bang his fists on the table but it was to no avail. It was only due to a loud growl from Grey Wind that order was barely restored

 “My Lords!” Robb said as they settled down. “I understand that this is an unprecedented and complicated issue but please bear with me. I understand your scepticism about such a weapon, but if it exists, then we can not afford to take any chances. Everyone here will be easy prey if the Wall were to fall!”

 “How do you know we can trust him!” one man shouted

 “I trust my brother,” Robb said to the man. He decided to not mention what Bran had mentioned and the powers he had seemed to have gained, that would not win them to his side. Instead, it was Ser Loras who spoke up,

 “We are not asking you to abandon the Wall. In fact, we think that it would be best if the best riders remained behind with fast horses,” Ser Loras said and this seemed to appease the men slightly.

 “No,” a man said and Robb turned to see that the voice came from Jon Connington. “We are the Night’s Watch and our post is at the Wall. We will not abandon it,”

 “Aye!” the men chanted in agreement and Robb frowned.

 “Furthermore, Lord Stark, you do not have the authority to command us. You are not our King, neither are you our Lord Commander,”

 “We are acting on behalf of the King and Queen,” Loras said but Connington only shrugged in response.

 “I did not see or hear about them putting you in charge when they left,” Connington said with a shrug and Robb saw a few more men nod in agreement.

 “Very well, you are right, I can’t force you to leave, but my offer extends to the Free folk who have come south of the Wall with us. Follow me to Winterfell and I will find lands for you to settle on. I only ask that your best men fight alongside us when the time comes, it is what the Freefolk agreed to when the King proposed his offer,” Robb said as he turned towards Mance.

 He looked into his eyes for a few moments before he heard Mance speak,

 “We made no deal with you, we made one with the King,” he said in a quiet voice. “But if what your brother said is true, then the Wall is not safe for my people,”

 “Thank you Mance,” Robb said as he nodded

 “However, this better not be a trick or there will be consequences,” Mance said cooly and Robb frowned at the threat, however he did not press it further. He would have to tell Jon when he returned.

 “Very well, we plan to leave tomorrow at first light. Brothers at the Wall, I promise we will not forget you nor abandon you, but I do urge that you ready yourself for a quick departure if the Wall should fall. I have seen what is out there. Fighting the White Walkers is a fight that you will lose should you take it,”

 Robb spoke to the room and he noticed the mood change. Those that had been at Hardhome seemed to shrink into their seats as they recalled the horrible memory and Robb could not blame them. The White Walkers had descended from nowhere to attack them and to make matters worse, their weapons were useless against them. He carried his own dragonglass dagger ever since that day, however it did not feel the same as his trusty sword.

 Those that did not go to Hardhome did not have that same fearful look on their faces, they seemed confident, excited almost.Robb only shook his head at them, they had no idea what they would have to face should the Wall fall.

 Robb wondered who would lead the Night’s watch when they left, he supposed that they would hold their own elections and select their own leader. He wondered who that would be, his best guess would be Jon Connington. Robb hoped that if that turned out to be true, he would not make working with Jon and Dany difficult. The fate of the world depended on everyone working together.

  
  
  


**The Dragon’s Hand**

  


Tyrion stood in his office of Hand of the King as he looked out over Kings Landing. After the King and Queen had left, it had started to snow and now the city had been covered in a layer of snow. The red roofs of the city were covered in a layer of white, it was quite a beautiful sight.

However, Tyrion had other things on his mind. His investigation into the disturbances at the docks had been ongoing but he had been yet to find anything conclusive. All of the men had been questioned before they had been released and not one of them had said anything useful.

Apart from being from Essos, he could not find a motive for these men to come to the city and cause trouble, it didn’t make sense to him. Perhaps, it was nothing more than a coincidence afterall.

Tyrion sighed before turning back to his desk. His mind was filled with worry. The King and Queen had returned to the North to fight the White Walker threat and had given orders for as many soldiers as possible to head North with them. Tyrion knew that if the extent of this threat was true, then he could not force them to stay. However, he could not help but worry.

 The White Walkers had already claimed the life of one dragon rider, Prince Rhaegar, how was he supposed to know they wouldn’t take the last two? He had asked them what their plan was, and all they would mention was this dragonglass substance, they said that this was the only thing that could kill the White Walkers

 Tyrion had read about Dragonglass briefly and what he had found was incredibly brief and not very encouraging. Dragonglass had very little uses and as a result, there was not a lot of information about it. It appeared that it also came under different names such as obsidian which made his search even more difficult. He had written a letter to the ArchMaesters at the Citadel but he had not received a reply as of yet.

 The King and Queen had also left them with a contingency plan of sorts, if they sent a raven South telling them to flee, then they were to take the children and head East to safety. They had gold in the Iron Bank that would be given to Daeron and Lyanna when they came of age and that should let them live a comfortable life. Tyrion shuddered; he only hoped that it would not come to that.

 Tyrion heard a faint knocking on his door and he quickly called for the person to enter. Tyrion watched as the handle moved slowly before the door opened and the person stepped inside,

 “Prince Daeron,” Tyrion said in surprise. “And the Lady Arya, how are you both today?”

 “I am well,” Arya said as she followed Daeron into the room. Tyrion watched as the little boy looked around curiously. “Daeron, say hello to Lord Tyrion,”

 “Hello Lord Tyrion,” Daeron politely repeated as he continued to explore the room.

 “Daeron wanted to explore the castle and we found our way over here,” Arya informed him as they watched Daeron wander around the room. The Prince was dressed in a red and black doublet with black shoes. “Are you ready to leave little one? We don’t want to disturb Lord Tyrion too much,”

 “Aunty look!” Daeron said in excitment as he found something on his desk. Tyrion quickly walked over and saw that he found his seal. “Look!” he said with a smile as he stretched to pick it up

 “Careful Daeron,” Arya said in a warning tone

 “Aunty look,” Daeron said quietly as he sat down on the floor. Tyrion watched as he pretended to add the seal to a document. “Mama, lets me help,” he added and Tyrion nodded in understanding.

 “Would you like to help me?” Tyrion asked kindly and he watched as Daeron’s little face stretch into a smile as he eagerly nodded. “Very well, take a seat over there and I’ll find somethings for you to stamp with the seal,”

 Tyrion wandered around his room until he found a stack of papers that he needed to seal and send. Then he got the wax and headed back over to his desk so they could begin.

 “Be careful with him, he’s only a little boy,” Arya said protectively and Tyrion nodded. To his surprise, Daeron was remarkably proficient at this task. All he had to do was show him where to put the seal and Daeron would do it, and everytime he did he showed his wonderful smile.

 “How are you Prince Daeron?” Tyrion asked as they worked

 “Good,” Daeron said quickly

 “How is your sister?”

 “Good,” Daeron told him before he spoke again. “Lya can talk now,”

 “That’s good, are you excited?”

 “She only say Mama,” Daeron told him and Tyrion chuckled at the hint of disappointment that had crept into his voice.

 “She’s only a baby, she will learn more words soon enough,” Tyrion gently reminded him as he started to pack away his things. Daeron slid off the chair and headed over to his aunt.

 “I miss Grandpa,” Daeron said as Arya picked her up. Tyrion turned to Arya and saw her gently stroke his silver hair.

 “So do we little one, and I know he misses you too,”

 “When he coming back?” Daeron asked and Tyrion saw Arya falter. As far as he knew, they had not told Daeron what had happened.

 “I don’t know little one,” Arya quietly answered. Tyrion could only offer an apologetic smile as she carried her nephew out of the room. He understood why they had not told him, he was only a little boy afterall. Still, Tyrion couldn’t help but wonder if it would be better to tell him sooner rather than later.

 Tyrion sighed before heading back to his desk to do some work, he had not heard from Prince Doran of Dorne recently and he quickly wrote out another letter to send to him. As it had been snowing more and more frequently, that means that Lords from further away had stopped coming to court as often to air their grievances, instead they sent them by Raven.

 Tyrion quickly worked through them doing his best to solve the issues that they had before turning to the ledgers. Just as he opened the heavy book, he heard another knock on his door.

 “Come in,” Tyrion called and this time he saw that it was Podrick. “Ah Podrick, how are you?”

  
“I am well, my Lord,” his squire replied. “A raven has come for you and I was told to deliver it in person,”

 

Tyrion nodded before reaching out to take the scroll from him. He quickly broke the seal and then he read the letter, and with each word he read, the worse he felt.

 “My Lord, what is it?”

 “Nothing really. It is from Gultown, they have had an increase in crime these past few weeks and their jails are filled to capacity. They are wondering whether they should send the extra men here, or to the Wall,” Tyrion told him and Podrick nodded.

 “Increase in crime? Could it be related to what we saw down by the docks?” he asked and Tyrion nodded.

 “Maybe, maybe not,” Tyrion said as he rubbed his chin. “I would send them to the Wall, but they seem to have their own troubles already. I suppose that I’ll have to agree for them to come here and we’ll put them in our dungeons for a while,”

 “I can wait to carry your response back to the Rookery,” Podrick offered and Tyrion shook his head.

 “No need, I’ll take my time with this one. I suppose we will have to send them some more men, although I have no idea where we’re going to get those extra men from,” Tyrion said as he took a drink of wine. “Thank you Podrick,” he added in dismal.

 After Podrick left, Tyrion threw the scroll onto his desk in frustration. He was definitely suspicious, but he had no proof. Worse yet, because of the White Walker threat, they were running low on men. They still had the Dothraki of course, but Tyrion knew they would not follow him and his instructions.

 He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, they had the White Walkers to the North, and an unknown enemy running amock in Westeros. From his father, Tyrion had learned that fighting a war on two fronts was risky, especially a war against an enemy who was hiding in the shadows.

  
  


**The Queen of Westeros**

  
Dany flew astride Anogar as they made the long familiar journey North once again. It had been very difficult to leave her children behind, especially little Lyanna. Her daughter had not wanted to leave her arms all morning and the only way Dany was able to leave was after she put her to sleep for a nap.

 Worse yet there was Jon, she had noticed that he had remained very quiet throughout the day. Even Lyanna’s singing and silliness had struggled to put a smile on his face and this worried her. She knew that he was finding it hard to deal with his father’s death, and she knew that he couldn’t help but feel responsible. She could only hope that he would open up and let her help him through this difficult time.

 

As they flew North, Dany noticed just how far the snowfall had gotten. She could see that the Gods Eye had frozen over as a thick carpet of snow covered the Riverlands. She could see the outline of the Kingsroad below as it had been cleared by those brave enough to weather the elements. Dany couldn’t help but admire how different Westeros looked under a blanket of snow.

 They had been flying for several hours now and to the West she could see the sun beginning to set. Dany wondered where they were, likely somewhere north of the Neck. She wondered if they should stop somewhere for the night, preferably in Winterfell. Perhaps, they had past Winterfell already. She looked to her right and saw Vedros flying alongside, they did not know where Caraxes was, and Anogar let out a soft whine as he thought of his brother.

 Then she saw Vedros start to descend towards and Anogar quickly followed.  She peered over the back of his great black scales down into the snow below, she saw a long line of people marching along the Kings Road and Anogar seemed to be heading in that direction. Dany wondering who they could be, they did not look like their Unsullied who should be arriving at Eastwatch and White Harbour.

 Anogar growled as they flew lower to the ground and Dany could begin to make out their faces, these were the Freefolk that they had led South of the wall. This confused her, why were they so far from the Wall.

 They quickly landed on one side of the Kingsroad and then they quickly disembarked.

 “Jon, what is happening?” she asked as they quickly walked towards the Freefolk.

 “I have no idea,” he quietly replied. She noticed that he had one hand wrapped protectively around his sword and she immediately felt uneasy. “Ghost!” he called as he saw his wolf bounding towards them through the snow. This at least reassured Dany. She gently rubbed his fur and then she saw Greywind also heading towards them, followed by Robb.

 “What is it?” Dany asked as Robb reached them. “Why have you left the Wall?”

“It is not safe,” Robb said breathlessly. His cheeks were flushed from the cold.

 “Why? What has happened?” Dany asked, she saw Ser Loras and Ser Jorah also approaching and this made the situation even more curious. She noticed that there were no brothers from the Night’s watch with them.

 “Bran…Bran said that the White Walkers have this horn…called the Horn of Winter….he says that they can use it to bring down the Wall,” Robb said quietly and Dany’s heart sunk. Surely this could not be true, that would mean that no one in Westeros was safe. Her mind immediately turned to her two babies, they weren’t safe. No this couldn’t be true, nothing could happen to Daeron and Lyanna, nothing.

 “Are you sure?” Ser Barristan asked “How does Lord Bran know all this?”

 “We found him,” Jon said quickly. Dany looked up at him and noticed that his face had grown hard and determined. “So you evacuated the Wall? That is good smart thinking, Robb,”

 “Thank you, but the Night’s Watch stayed behind. They did not want to abandon their post and I could not force them to go,” Robb told them

 “I understand. I will fly there after and get them to leave. In the meantime, what is your plan for the Freefolk?” Jon asked

 “March south to Winterfell, keep them somewhere around there?” Robb said uncertainly and Dany then noticed how difficult this was for him. They had left him to deal with this crisis without leaving behind any instructions. He was not the Warden of the North either and this would have made it difficult for the people to follow him.

 “That sounds good,” Jon said as he nodded his head. “Where is Bran?, we will need to speak with him and find out what he knows,”

 “Jon, what about our Unsullied? They are sailing to Eastwatch as we speak,” Dany reminded him.

 “One of us will have to fly by and get them to divert,” Jon said after a pause to think. “I will go, since I am already heading in that direction,”  

 Dany nodded quickly and then fell silent again, she had noticed that Jon had become more focused ever since this problem came up. Perhaps, this would help him to feel more like himself.

 “I can come with you, it makes no sense for you to go alone,” Dany offered but Jon shook his head.

 “No, I’d like you to stay and help with the Freefolk. If they see you here, then perhaps that will reassure them,” Jon quickly said and Robb nodded in agreement. Dany sighed before conceding.

 “Please be careful. Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah will go with you instead. I will stay here with Ghost,” Dany answered in a firm tone, Jon paused to consider this before he slowly nodded in agreement.

 “Very well, if that is all, I think it’s best if we get going,” Jon said as he looked up in the sky. Dany watched as Vedros circled before landing gently over in the snow. Jon, Ser Loras and Ser Barristan all quickly mounted up before taking off into the sky.

 “He doesn’t seem like himself,” Robb said quietly as they watched them fly away.

 “No,” Dany said quietly, “No, he’s not,”

  
  


**The Lost Lord**

  


Jon Connington stood at the top of the Wall looking North. It was quiet up here, just as it was in the main living areas ever since the Freefolk had all left.

 After the war was lost, Jon had been angry at his banishment to the Wall, he would have preferred to have the executioners block as his punishment. However, once he arrived at Castle Black, he quickly realised that there were still positives to the situation.

 He was surrounded by a group of rapists and criminals, petty men truthfully, men who had no ambition. Jon quickly realised that he could climb the ranks of the Night’s watch, perhaps even as far as Lord Commander. That would be the best he could do in this situation, he would be wielding power once again.

 However, he had never imagined he would rise to power quite like this. With Thorne dead and the Targaryens gone, he was in effect as the acting Lord Commander of the Watch. There were other officers, but Jon was not worried about them opposing him.

 His main concern was the threat of the White Walkers. A part of him had wanted to head south with the Stark boy but he knew that doing that would seem cowardly and it would jeopardize his standing. No, staying here was the right option.

 Jon remembered the first day he ever saw the Wall, stretching further than his eyes could see and going so high it seemingly touched the clouds. There was no way a mere horn could cause this magical structure to fall, not a chance. The boy was wrong, likely his brain had been addled after spending years in the frozen wilderness.

 He stood on the top of the Wall on guard, he had chosen to go first, to show that he is willing to lead by example. So far, he had seen nothing untoward, the lands North of the wall were the same as they always were empty and cold.

 He wrapped his cloak tightly around him as he shivered against the freezing winds. It was bitterly cold up here, perhaps he should not have gone first after all.

 He heard a loud horn blast and Jon sat up to peer over the wall. One blast meant rangers returning, he knew that. It was one of the first things that he had learned at the Wall. Perhaps, a few rangers had gone North of the Wall to hunt or what not, that seemed perfectly normal and Jon quickly reclined in his seat again.

 Then he heard a second horn and this got his attention. Two blasts meant Wildlings, but there were no more Wildlings on that side of the Wall. It didn’t make sense. Jon quickly stood up and then looked South, perhaps the Wildlings were returning to the Wall, perhaps they did not want to follow the Starks.

 Then Jon heard the third horn blast and then his blood went cold. He quickly crossed to look over the Northern side of the Wall. His eyes scanned the edges of the forest and that’s when he noticed the blizzard. At Hardhome, their arrival had come with a blizzard.

 Jon stood rooted to the spot as they slowly made their way out of the trees, their blue eyes shining like sapphires. The Others rode forward on their beasts, undead mammoths and shadowcats, beasts that would destroy 10 men at a time. The one in the middle rode the furthest forward and then he raised something to his lips. Was that a horn? Jon was not sure, suddenly he was afraid. He _hoped_ it wasn’t a horn.

 Sadly, he was mistaken.

 The White Walker raised it to his lips and blew and what came next was surreal.

 The noise made was incredibly high pitched, so high that Jon could only faintly hear it. It sounded like chalk being dragged across a rock. It was quiet at first but then it quickly grew in noise until it was nearly deafening, and Jon quickly threw his hands up to his ears to block the noise.

 Almost as soon as he did that, he felt the ground begin to shake beneath him. He could hear the panicked cries from the men as they were thrown around. Jon heard the cage that carried men to the top of the wall break and plummet all the way to the bottom, killing anyone inside.

 Jon realised that this threat was real, it was very real, and he needed to escape. He stumbled towards the stairs as chunks of the Wall fell around him. Large chunks of ice slipped away beneath his feet as he staggered towards the top of the flight of stairs.

 He barely had time to process the fact that the Wall was falling as he steadied himself at the top of the stairs.

 He took one step with his left foot before moving his right leg forward. Then the ground shook, and instead of making contact with the ice stair, he felt nothing but air.

 Jon Connington let out a loud scream as he plummeted to his death, buried in the ice ruins of the fallen Wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is called "The Lonely Hills" at the moment. Although I might change the name. The chapter mainly revolves around Winterfell and there is good news in the air for once....
> 
> There are only 2 chapters left after this one, so things are going to be moving quickly. My White Walkers aren't going to take 6 years to travel 10 meters like on the show.
> 
> This is probably the last chapter I'll get out for you before the holidays. So I wish you all a happy holiday and a happy new year
> 
> Thanks for reading  
> Sleepy


	9. The Lonely Hills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story
> 
> So, I ducked up and posted an old version of this chapter originally and there was a death that shouldn’t have happened 
> 
> So I’ve done a quick edit, it’s towards the end 
> 
> Sorry for those who read it early

 

**The King of Westeros**

 

Jon was seated abreast on the back of Vedros as he watched the Wall crumble to the ground in a giant plume of ice and snow. He was completely stunned; the most magical structure in the world, the only thing separating Westeros from the White Walkers was gone. It had seemed as effortless as knocking over Daeron’s toy blocks.

 

Vedros let off a loud sad whine that filled the frozen air.

 

“Are there any survivors?” Ser Barristan shouted over the wind but Jon could only shrug. He did not know the answer.

 

“We can’t help them,” Jon said after a moment. “We have to help the others. Last Hearth, Karhold, Deepwood Motte. We have to evacuate them, get them South to safety,”

 

Jon knew that Last Hearth was the home of House Umber in the North, it was the Northernmost castle and the one closest to the Wall, and they would have to head there first. However, he had no idea how long it would take to evacuate everyone. He imagined it would take them hours at the very least, he wondered if they would even have that much time. The White Walkers seemed to be moving very quickly, and he was uncertain if they would even move together in one group.

 

For all he knew, they could divide themselves into smaller packs to hunt. One pack would head to the east, one to the west whilst one went south. He simply did not know, and as he looked out at the setting sun, he realised that he did not have time to waste.

 

“Vedros, Last Hearth please,” Jon urged and his dragon roared in response. She dipped her neck and dove low to the ground. The wind whipped across his face as they headed towards Last Hearth.

 

* * *

 

They arrived at Last Hearth just as the sun had disappeared over the horizon. Vedros landed outside of the castle walls with a loud roar that was sure to wake any inhabitants who had turned to the beds in a quest for sleep. Jon, Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah quickly slid off her back and marched up to the gates, determined not to waste anytime.

 

“Who goes there!” he heard an uncertain voice call out and Jon sighed.

 

“King Aegon of House Targaryen, King of Westeros and the Lord Protector of the realm,” Jon rattled off towards the watchtower. The gate did not open immediately and Jon released a frustrated sigh, ‘Did they not hear the dragon earlier?’

 

“Vedros, a little help please?” Jon asked and she immediately answered. His dragon released a blast of bright green flame high into the sky above the castle and the gate quickly opened after that display and Jon trudged inside.

 

The castle itself was not very large, perhaps not entirely larger than Maegor’s holdfast itself. He did not need to enter it, as there seemed to be a crowd of people waiting for him outside the snow covered steps.

 

“Your grace, King Aegon, we were not expecting you,” he heard one large man say. Jon looked at him; he was over 7 foot tall and heavily muscled, he wielded a huge greatsword that could surely cut Jon in half, yet would also be completely useless against the Night King “I am the Greatjon Umber, Lord of Last Hearth,”

 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Umber. I am sorry that my visit had to be unannounced, but recent events have left me no choice,” Jon began. “I am not sure how much you have been told by Lord Stark, but I promise you my words are true. The Wall has fallen, and the White Walkers are here. We need to evacuate everyone here and head South to safety,”

 

Jon looked at the assembled men after his proclamation. Several of them had blank expressions on their faces, whilst others looked at him as if he was crazy which caused him to sigh in exasperation.

 

“The Wall has fallen, your grace?” one man said. “The Wall has stood for thousands of years, since my father and all of his fathers before him. You mean to say that it has fallen tonight?”

 

“Yes,” Jon repeated. “And that means there is nothing to protect you from the White Walkers and that is why you need to come South. Head south to Winterfell. We have dragons, our dragons can protect you,”

 

Again, the men did not seem to be convinced they all just looked at each other in turn, as if this was a great jape.

 

“You want us to leave our homes now? It is the middle of winter and the nights are cold, think of the women and children. If they leave now, they won’t get very far in the night; some of them might not even make it to the morning if we leave now,”

 

Jon shook his head

 

“The Wall has fallen, if you stay here, none of you will make it to the morning,” Jon said harshly and he saw the Greatjon frown.

 

“You’re asking us to risk our women and children, because of some danger that we haven’t seen in centuries?” a younger man asked and Jon frowned. The man spoke with a swagger and he had a cocky smile that Jon did not like. If only he had seen the things that he had seen North of the Wall, then he wouldn’t be so cocky.

 

“Are you calling me a liar?” Jon asked in a low voice as he felt his temper rise “You think the threat of the White Walkers is not real?”

 

“Not at all, your grace,” the Greatjon said as he aggressively shoved the other man back but it was too late.

 

“They killed my father!” Jon yelled and the entire courtyard fell silent. “This threat is real and they will kill all of us if you don’t listen to me!”

 

His voice cracked at the end and he fell quiet as his anger turned to grief. It had been just over a day since his father had died, and he could not shake the guilt.

 

“Your grace, perhaps we should speak to them,” Jorah said after a moment and Jon nodded before turning away, his eyes brimming with tears

 

He headed back outside of the castle gates to wait with Vedros. His dragon shielded him from the cold swirling winds, but even Vedros could not protect him from the guilt that was raging inside of him.

 

**The Queen of Westeros**

 

It was the middle of the morning when they finally saw Winterfell appearing over the snow covered horizon in front of them. They had made camp shortly after Jon flew off, and they had been up again at dawn to continue their march. Thankfully, Anogar had been cooperative and he had cleared the snow on the Kingsroad in front of them, and this meant that they had been able to make faster progress.

 

“Perhaps, we should ride in separately, whilst the Freefolk remains a bit further behind,” Robb suggested. He rode beside her with Ser Loras just behind, they were flanked by the pair of Direwolves, Ghost and Greywind.

 

“I agree,” Dany said after a moment. She sat stiffly in her saddle on account of the cold. Usually, Dany was able to handle the cold relatively well, she thought it was because her dragon’s blood kept her warm, however today was different, she felt unusually cold and that was not reassuring.

 

She turned around and looked for Tormund, who agreed to pass on the message to the rest of the Freefolk. Even though their numbers had been thinned considerably since the disaster at Hardhome, Dany still estimated that they numbered well into the thousands.

 

“We should bring Bran as well. Mother would love to see him,” Robb said quietly and Dany nodded. She had not spoken to Bran as of yet, but she had heard that he was not like he was before. She turned and saw Robb give a few more signals before he gently pushed his horse into a trot towards Winterfell and Dany quickly followed.

 

The ride into Winterfell was short and Dany took a brief look around the castle, the last time she was here was for the Robb and Margaery‘s wedding. She saw that the repairs to the broken Keep were continuing despite the weather.

 

“Father!” Robb called as they rode into the main courtyard. Robb jumped off his horse and quickly crossed over to his parents and Dany took this time to gracefully dismount hers. Her eyes scanned the courtyard until she saw an old friend.

 

“Margaery,” she said with a smile as she crossed over to her. Dany looked at her friend, she was wrapped up in furs but even they could not hide the fact that she was very pregnant. “You look beautiful, my friend,” Dany greeted while gently hugging her.

 

“As do you, my Queen,” Margaery answered. “Although, I must apologise for forgetting my courtesies,”

 

“Nonsense, you are an old friend of mine,” Dany said immediately as she let go of her. “How are you? When is the baby due?”

 

“Well the Maester thinks we might be having twins,” Margarey said with a smile and Dany beamed at her.

 

“Congratulations, you deserve it,” Dany said and Margaery blushed. “When are they due?”

 

“The Maester said it shouldn’t be too much longer now, perhaps only a month,” Margaery said and Dany’s smile faltered. She remembered her own pregnancies, during her final month she had barely wanted to move. She had in fact journeyed to Winterfell with Lyanna, but she rode in a comfortable wheelhouse as they took a leisurely pace and winter had not yet set in. Margaery would not have those luxuries.

 

“It is nice to see you, sister,” Loras said and Dany watched as the two siblings embraced. She was once again struck by how similar the pair of them looked.

 

“How are your children? How are Daeron and Lyanna? She was so small when you left with her, and does Daeron still remember me?”

 

“Of course, he remembers you!” Dany said quickly. “Daeron will never forget his ‘Aunty Magey’” and they both laughed as they remembered Daeron’s pronunciation of her name. When they had journeyed to Winterfell, Daeron had instantly remembered Margaery. He had pratically leapt out of her arms in his eagerness to hug her “As for Little Lyanna, she looks like her father, black hair but with violet eyes. She has also started to talk a little,”

 

“She sounds adorable,” Margaery said. “I can’t wait to meet her,”

 

Dany smiled and gave her another hug before turning to face the rest of the courtyard. She saw that Robb was leading his parents over to Bran and she realised that it was time to focus on their plan.

 

“Did you get Robb’s raven?” Dany asked but Margaery shook her head.

 

“I haven’t heard from him in weeks. No one has received a raven from the Wall, it has been very particular. The only things that we have received so far are those crates of Dragonglass that you sent. Who is that with Robb?”

 

“Bran,” Dany replied and she watched as Margaery’s face softened. “Marg, it has been a very hectic few weeks and I am afraid I’m not bringing good news either,”

 

“What is it?”

 

“It’ll be best if we gather everyone, that way I won’t have to repeat myself too much,” Dany said as she walked over towards the Starks.

 

“My Queen,” Lady Catelyn said with a polite courtesy.

 

“Please, it is fine. I am afraid that we will have to skip the pleasantries for now,” Dany said with a glance towards Robb.

 

“Yes. Father, we need to talk, with as many of your bannermen that you have here, in your solar or the Great Hall,”

 

“My solar will be fine, none of my bannermen are here, they are all at their homes for the Winter,”

 

“I will stay and tend to Bran,” Lady Catelyn said

 

“No mother. I will be joining them,” Bran said in a distant voice. This surprised Lady Catelyn, who only nodded her head after a brief pause. Then, they all followed Lord Stark inside and into the warmth of the castle itself.

 

Once they were in his solar, Dany took a warm drink before they launched into a recap of what had happened. She, Robb and Ser Loras all took turns recounting the story and filling in any gaps, and when they were finished, Lord Stark looked shocked.

 

“Seven hells,” Lady Catelyn whispered her face as white as a sheet. “I can’t believe it,”

“Jon is away, he should be with the Night’s watch, persuading them to leave the Wall,” Dany said

 

“It is too late,” Bran said quietly

 

“Too late?” Dany asked but Bran did not respond, the air was only filled with an uncomfortable silence. Dany looked at the young man, Jon had told him stories about Bran and his love for climbing and for adventure but the boy before Dany bore no resemblance in personality to the boy of Jon’s descriptions.

“Our plan is to use Winterfell as our base,” Ser Loras said after a moment. “We have Dragonglass here and we can turn that into weapons that can kill the White Walkers. This is the biggest collection of troops left in the North,”

 

“We also plan to evacuate all of the women and children, as well as those that cannot fight. The further South they can get, the better,” Dany said

 

“Very well, that sounds reasonable, I suppose,” Lord Stark said after a moment. “What about the Wildlings? It was hard enough convincing my bannermen to let them onto their lands, what are your plans with them?”

 

“If they can fight, they will fight, if they can’t, they will be evacuated,” Dany told him and she saw him nod his head slowly.

 

“I can’t believe it. White Walkers in Westeros, it is the stuff that wet nurses tell little children to scare them,”

 

“The threat is real,” Dany quietly said. She remembered that the White Walkers killed her brother; they would have to be punished for that. Rhaegar’s death would be avenged.

 

“It is father, I have fought it,” Robb chimed in

 

“Aye, I believe you,” he said quietly. “I don’t want to, but I do,”

 

“Have you made any weapons with the dragonglass? Our regular steel is useless against them,” Robb asked

 

“Aye, we’ve made some. Mostly just Spears and arrowheads. Only a few of our smiths can work it, the metal is very brittle,”

 

“So I’ve heard, but it will save our lives,” Dany reminded him and he nodded.

 

“So what is the plan until then?” Lord Stark asked

 

“Jon wished to fortify the castles along the Wall, but that won’t be happening until we know the Wall is safe. We’ll have to come up with a new plan,” Dany said after a moment. “We should continue to make as many weapons as we can in the meantime,”

 

“I think we should also think about fortifying the castle,” Robb said. “Start digging trenches and so on. If the worst happens, then we need to be ready,”

 

“Winterfell hasn’t fallen in thousands of years,” Lord Stark said after a moment. “And it won’t fall whilst I am Lord of this castle. I will give the orders. Is there anything else you need?”

Dany shook her head as she heard a loud screeching noise come from up above. It sounded familiar and comforting.

 

“Jon is here,” she said quickly as she rose to her feet. She led them away from the solar and back into the castle courtyard. Outside she could see the tips of Vedros’s green wings just outside of the castle walls. She quickly hurried down the stairs and out into the courtyard just as he arrived.

 

“Jon,” she said as soon as she saw him. The first thing that she noticed was that he looked tired, very tired. She wondered if had been up all night blaming himself for Rhaegar’s death, she hoped that he hadn’t. “Jon, how are you my love?”

 

“The Wall has fallen,” he said immediately. “We saw it happen in front of us. It’s gone and the White Walkers are here in Westeros,”

 

Dany shook her head and stepped back. The Wall fallen? Surely not. That meant they were all in danger. Her mind immediately went to Daeron and Lyanna but then she thought of Margaery and her babes, no this couldn’t be true.

 

“It is true, your grace,” Ser Barristan said with a solemn face.

 

“We spent the entire night flying from castle to castle.” Jon explained, “We got to Last Hearth to the Umbers but we spent so long there that we could not get to Karhold in time,”

 

“What happened at Karhold?” Lord Stark asked and Jon shook his head,

 

“It was difficult to see because it was night, but all we saw was fires blazing and bright blue eyes looking back at us from the ground, it was eerie. I pulled Vedros away and then we headed to Deepwood motte, we managed to convince them to leave but it is not easy,”

 

“Oh gods,” Dany heard one voice say. She turned to see that it had come from Margaery who was holding her mouth in shock. Dany shook her head sadly; she would have to be evacuated as soon as possible. Perhaps, she should fly her to Kings Landing or Highgarden, it would not be ideal, but she would do anything for her friend.

 

“Where are they now, Jon?” Dany asked

 

“Somewhere making their way South, Vedros cleared the snow for them which should help and I believe Caraxes is flying with them just to be safe but I did all I could,”

 

“I know you did, Jon,” she said sympathetically. “Now we have to come up with a new plan,”

 

“We should send everyone who can’t fight away from here. There are ships at White Harbour; those that can’t travel quickly can sail to Kings Landing or Dragonstone. It will be difficult and we may have to split up families, but we have no other choice,”

 

“Jon, I need to speak with you,” Bran said in a monotonous voice. “I have things that I need to tell you.Things that will help you,”

 

Jon gave her a cautious glance before he headed off over in Bran’s direction, Dany decided to follow him. She had just reached Bran when she heard a sharp cry of pain and she quickly spun her head around towards the noise. It came from Margaery, and she was clutching her stomach.

 

“Call the maester,” Robb cried as he ran over to his wife and Dany quickly followed him,

 

“What is it Margaery?” she asked as she reached her.

 

“The babes, I think the babes are coming,” she whispered as she tightly held onto her hand. Dany’s eyes widened as her mouth opened and closed. She was happy for her friend, but she could not help but feel that this was the worst time for this to happen.

 

**The Sands of Dorne**

 

Obara stared up at the ceiling of her cabin as they slowly sailed towards Kings Landing. They were going with much less men than she had hoped, and this was because their meeting with the Dornish Lords had gone disastrously.

 

She had hoped that they would get support from the other major houses in Dorne, such as Houses Yronwood or Dayne but they hadn’t even managed that. They had only managed to win the support of small houses like House Toland, and Obara new they only joined them because they were so close to Sunspear.

 

Further clouding her thoughts were the words from the Spider, his plan to kidnap the royal children had merit, and it would certainly give them the leverage they needed to get Arianne back but Obara was still uncertain. She was not sure how they would even _get_ to the children, let alone take them. She was sure that they were guarded night and day, and more importantly, she did not even know how to get _into_ the castle itself. She had never been to Kings Landing, much less the Red Keep.

 

“What is on your mind, sister?” Nymeria asked from her bed.

 

“Nothing,” Obara replied as she slowly rubbed her eyes. “We need to get dressed, I spoke to the captain earlier and he said that we should be there today,”

 

“Kings Landing?” Nymeria asked and Obara nodded. “It’s about time, it feels like we’ve been on this ship for months! I’m ready for some action!”

 

“We will have to be careful,” Obara said quietly. “We don’t have the men, much less than we anticipated. This means we must change our approach,”

“How?” Tyene asked

 

“We will aim to blend in, act like visitors who have come to see the great city of Kings Landing, the home of the Targaryen empire or whatever they call it. That way we will raise less suspicion,”

 

“When will we meet Lord Varys again?” Nymeria asked

 

“Tonight, or soon,” Obara said uncertainly. “He said he would meet us again when it was closer to the time,”

 

“Where? When?” Tyene asked impatiently and Obara just shook her head

 

“He said that he’ll get a message to us. I don’t know if he still has spies in the city, but I have no way of contacting him,”

 

Her sisters did not look very impressed with that answer but they did not want to question her further.

 

“What did Varys say about Ari? How are we going to get the leverage?” Tyene asked and Obara said

 

“Varys says that we should take their children. Take them and then the Targaryens will give us anything we want,” Obara said and she gauged their responses, surprisngly they did not flinch.

 

“Yes, that makes sense,” Nymeria said as she slowly nodded her head. “How many do they have?”

“Two,” Obara replied. “A boy and a girl,”

“How cute,” Nymeria answered as she curled and uncurled her whip. “I can’t wait to get my hands on them, the sooner we do that, the sooner we can have Ari back,”

 

“We should keep one ourselves, as payback for how they kept Ari from us,” Tyene added and Nymeria nodded.

 

“Yes, that makes the most sense,” Nymeria continued. “Why didn’t you tell us this earlier?”

 

“I did not know how to do it,” Obara answered. “We have never been to Kings Landing, much less the Red Keep. We barely know what the children look like or how to get them, there were so many things that I had to figure out,”

“But we could have helped you!” Tyene pointed out. “Together, we can to this,”

 

“She’s right Obara, you should have told us,” Nymeria added. “Come on, let’s all get to work now and start to come up with a plan. We can’t fail, Arianne needs us,”

 

**The Lord of Winterfell**

 

Ned Stark was in a side hall of Winterfell, as per his instructions, it was quickly being converted into a war room. Robb and Dany were with Margaery as she gave birth and this meant that he, Jon and Bran were in charge of the war planning for the time being.

 

“What did you need to tell me?” Jon asked Bran as he took a seat.

 

“Whilst I was away, I learned things from a man named Bloodraven. He was a great uncle of yours,”

 

“A Stark named Bloodraven?” Jon asked

 

“No, he was Brynden Rivers. A Targaryen, one of the great bastards of Aegon the IV,” Bran told him. “He was sent to the Wall decades ago, but he left on a ranging to the lands further North,”

“I would say that’s not possible but given the current circumstances, I’ll believe you,” Ned said quietly, “What did you learn?”

“I learned about the White Walkers. I know that they are coming here, to Winterfell. They are coming for their Queen,” Bran said ominously and Jon felt a chill pass through the room.

 

“Their Queen? Do you mean Dany?” Jon asked and Ned could see the fear on his face.

 

“No, their Queen has been imprisoned here for thousands of years. We cannot let them unite again, together they will be nearly impossible,”

 

Jon shook his head, this didn’t make sense

 

“Bran, who is this Queen and who cannot be allowed to reunite?”

 

“The counterpart of the Night King, the one that you saw on the back of Vedros, the one you think is leading the White Walkers. She was locked away deep in the Winterfell Crypts thousands of years ago as part of the Pact,”

 

“The Pact?” Ned asked but Bran shook his head.

 

“The details do not matter at the moment,” Bran said dismissively

 

“So what do we need to do? We can’t let them reunite,” Ned said quickly.

 

“We will have to ride out to stop them,” Jon said after a moment.

 

“Why?” Ned asked. “If we know that they are coming here to unite with their Queen, then surely it makes the most sense to wait and lay a trap? Fortify the castle and defend it with everything that we have?”

 

“That will be our last resort. We can’t afford to let them terrorise the North. That is not the type of King that I am, I will protect our people,”

 

“Jon is right, but not for the reasons he thinks,” Bran added and this caused Ned to frown. “The White Walkers need to be stopped as soon as possible. Right now, they are in the North, hunting in packs, and each one they kill is added to their ranks,”

 

“What?” Jon asked and Ned was equally confused.

 

“Every man, woman or animal that they kill can be reanimated and brought back to life using their magic,” Bran said in a matter of fact voice and Ned felt his blood run cold.

 

“So every moment we leave them alone, the stronger they get?” Jon asked and Bran nodded.

 

“Well, I don’t think we have much choice then,” Ned said after a while. “How do we stop them Bran?”

 

“The Night King is their leader, if he falls, they all will fall,”

 

“With Valyrian steel?” Jon asked and Bran nodded.

 

“Yes, I believe Valyrian steel should do the trick,” Bran said with a slow nod.

 

The room fell silent as Jon turned to the map of the North that had been spread out on the table. His gloved hand traced over the names of the castles before settling over the open lands.

 

“They could be anywhere. Even on dragonback, it could take us days to find them,”

 

“I can see him in my visions,” Bran offered. “Or at least I think I can, I am not strong enough to stay for long,” he added uncertainty and this surprised Ned. For the first time since his son had returned, he heard a hint of emotion in his voice, perhaps the old Bran was still in there after all.

 

“Could you try? Please?” Jon asked after a moment and Bran nodded.

 

“I will need to go to the Godswood, that is where my powers are at their strongest,” Bran told them. He then motioned to a guard who was standing on one side of the wall to wheel him away, leaving just Ned and Jon.

 

“I think we will have to take our best fighters when we hunt for the Night King. All of my Kingsguard have Valyrian steel blades. We have some daggers as well but everyone else will have to take Dragonglass. I don’t want to take a lot of men, only those that we can take on the backs of our dragons,”

 

“That sounds reasonable,” Ned answered after a moment. “What type of extra preparations should we make to this castle?”

 

Jon paused as he considered this.

 

“Fire, we will need more fire. Fire is one of their weaknesses, so perhaps if we have trebutches or catapults that can launch burning barrels or something at them that would be helpful. Perhaps, we could even line the top of the castle walls with dragonglass shards if we have time,” Jon suggested

 

“Fine, I can do that. I’ll pass along those instructions,”

“How many fighting men do we have in the castle?” Jon asked

 

“I have around 3,000. I couldn’t call the banners in time,”

 

“We have more Unsullied who should be marching from White Harbour. We should have at least 10,000 to hold the castle if it comes to that,” Jon said slowly. “Hopefully it won’t come to it,”

 

“What’s it like fighting them?” Ned asked and he heard Jon sigh.

 

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. The Walkers themselves move impossibly quick, faster than any man I’ve ever seen. It was only due to sheer luck that I managed to survive,” Jon said quietly. “I don’t want to imagine what the Night King is like,”

 

Ned nodded and then quiet. Robb would most likely be accompanying Jon, he hoped that his son would be safe.

 

“Jon, I am sorry for your loss,” Ned said quietly. He watched as Jon looked up at him slowly. “Prince Rhaegar was a good man, who was good enough for my sister, and good enough to be your father. I am sorry for you,”

 

“Thank you,” Jon said quietly as he turned away. Ned could tell that the wound was still fresh but he did not press further, Jon would deal with it in his own way.

 

After a few more moments, he heard a knock on the door and a Stark guardsman entered.

 

“Lord Stark, Lady Margaery has given birth,” the man said and Ned’s face stretched into a smile

 

“Very well, lead the way,” Ned said eagerly as he walked towards the door, eager to see his first grandchild. Ned followed the guard through the castle and up towards Robb and Margaery’s rooms. As he got closer to the door he heard more noise coming from the room before he slowly walked inside.

 

He saw a tired looking Margaery lying in the middle of the bed nursing one babe at her breast. To one side was the Queen and the pair were chatting. Maester Luwin moved slowly around the room whilst Catelyn helped to ensure that Margaery was comfortable in the bed. Rickon stood near the bed, enthralled with the babe.

 

“Father,” Robb said softly as he slowly walked towards him, carefully cradling a small bundle in his arms. “Twins,” he added with a wide beaming smile.

 

“Congratulations,” Ned whispered as he took a close look at the babe and their stormy grey eyes.

 

“This is Cregan,” Robb told him. “And Margaery is holding his sister, Elena. She came first, and then this little one followed soon after,”

 

Ned smiled and gently stroked his cheek as the baby stirred a little. His heart swelled with happiness at the sight.

 

“Where is Loras? I would have thought he would be here with his sister?” Ned asked as he took another look around the room.

 

“He went to send a letter to Highgarden, to tell them the good news,” Robb said and Ned nodded. Then he walked further into the room to speak with Margaery.

 

“Congratulations,” he said to his good daughter. “May I take a look at Elena?”

 

“Of course,” Margaery said as she adjusted herself in the bed. Like her brother, she too had storm grey eyes that were the traits of the Starks. Ned found this odd because neither Robb nor Margaery had those eyes, still he loved the babes none the same.

 

“She was brilliant,” Catelyn said from her seat. “She was so strong and brave, especially considering how difficult birthing twins can be,”

 

“I agree,” the Queen added. “I’m sure you all remember how much trouble little Lyanna gave me last time we were here,”

 

“Trust me, it was not easy,” Margaery said with a tired smile. “But it was worth it, I love them so much. Robb can you bring Cregan here please, I miss him already,”

 

Ned shuffled out of the way as he watched Robb move to his wife. He was happy for them both, they were lovely young people who would be good rulers for the North. He turned and he saw Jon standing near the entrance to the room and Ned quickly went over to him

 

“I’m just giving them their space, the room is already crowded enough as it is,” Jon said as soon as Ned arrived. Ned nodded at the explanation to his unasked question.

 

“You should write to Kings Landing, let Sansa and Arya know that they have a new nephew and niece waiting for them when they return,”

 

“I will,” Jon said after a brief pause. “What are we going to do with her?”

 

“What do you mean?” Ned asked

 

“It’s not safe for her here. If we should fail and the White Walkers attack the castle….,” Jon said as he left the sentence unfinished

 

“We will defend it with all of our lives,” Ned said immediately. “I will defend it for my children and for my grandchildren and I know you will do the same. I will beat them back with my bare hands if that is what it takes to protect those I love and care about,”

 

Jon nodded after a moment. “Well, I will be back soon. The evacuation needs to continue and then I have a raven to send,”

 

“Come on Jon, relax a little, and spend some time with them. It’s a happy time,” Ned said as he held onto his shoulder.

 

“I have to stay focused. The White Walkers killed my father, I won’t allow them to take anyone else that I love,” Jon said firmly as he shook himself free. Ned watched as he carried on alone down the hallway, off to complete his tasks.

 

Ned watched him leave before returning to the warmth of the room.

 

“Where did Jon go?” Daenerys asked

 

“He went to go and send a letter to Sansa and Arya,”

 

“Ah of course,” Daenerys said with a nod. “Daeron and Lya have some cousins to play with now, we can have little playdates,”

 

“A playdate?” Margaery asked. “How do you imagine that?”

 

“I can fly them here of course. Drop them off in the morning, let them run around here all day and tire you out, and then pick them up in the evening when they’re both tired and ready to sleep,” Daenerys said with a wide smile and Margaery chuckled lightly.

 

“That sounds like fun. Now, I can put all those hours of practice I had with Daeron to good use,” Margaery said as she looked at her children.

 

“Daeron was a good baby. He didn’t cry much or give much trouble, and he always listened to me when I called. Lyanna on the other hand is much more adventurous, and she is very, very loud when she cries but I love her all the same,”

“What were your children like as babes, Lady Catelyn?” Margaery asked

 

“Sansa was the perfect babe, as was Bran. Rickon and Arya gave the most trouble,” Catelyn said

 

“What about me mother?” Robb asked with a smile

 

“You were somewhere in the middle,” Catelyn added and at that moment Elena started to fuss. “I think she wants to be fed,” Catelyn added and Margaery smiled.

 

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for months,” Margaery said as she got into position. Ned watched with a smile as she fed her daughter, seemingly for the first time. It was a calm peaceful moment that he was grateful for, a lovely moment with his family

 

“My Lord,” he heard a voice say from the door. He turned to see another Guardsman had arrived. “It is news from Lord Bran, he says that he wishes to see you,”

 

Ned’s smile faltered a little before he left the room. Away from the peaceful tranquility of new family members and back out towards the war that they would have to fight.

 

**The King of Westeros**

 

Jon stood out in the chilly Godwood as he waited for everyone to arrive. He remembered the good times that he had spent playing in this sacred place with its special heart tree, those moments were still special to him.

 

He was happy for Robb and Margaery, he truly was. It was just hard for him to get truly lost in the moment, knowing that the wall had fallen and they were all in danger. He released a small sigh and watched his breath condense on the cool air in front of him. He had wanted to evacuate them all, but it looked like that would no longer be possible. Moving a mother and her new babes in this cold weather would not be good for their health.

 

“There you are,” he heard Dany say as she walked into the Godswood. “Are you well? Why didn’t you stay with us earlier?”

 

“I had things to do,” Jon said quickly. He saw that she was still concerned and so he did his best to give her a reassuring smile, however he was not sure that she was convinced. Those purple eyes still looked at him warily.

 

“Jon, what’s going through your mind? Let me help you, you don’t have to do this all alone,” she said quietly as she placed a gloved hand on his shoulder.

 

“Its fine Dany, it’s just Bran told us some things that are pretty important and a little disturbing,” he confessed and he saw her frown. He quickly gave her a recap of what Bran said, and this did not improve her mood

 

“So they are coming here?” Dany asked after he finished and Jon nodded. “Oh gods, poor Margaery, we can’t move her,”

 

“Aye, we can’t. We have to stop them first,” Jon said

 

“Have you at least told Robb?” she asked and Jon shook his head. “You have to tell him, he needs to know,”

“Not right now, he’s just had his first baby and he’s happy, he doesn’t need to know this, not now,”

 

“I know but if you’re going to ask him to go into battle with you, then he has to know this. You can’t keep this secret from him,” Dany told him and Jon found himself nodding.

 

“I’ll tell him after this, Bran is waiting,” he whispered as they turned and headed further into the Godswood. Bran was waiting by the heart tree, alongside their three Kingsguard, Lord Stark, Tormund and Robb,”

 

“I have seen the Night King,” Bran said after a moment. “He has split his forces around the North, but his main host heads for Winterfell,”

 

“How far away are they?” Jon asked immediately

 

“By horse, a week. But the White Walkers do not need to rest or eat; they can travel through the day and through the night. They can be here in three days,” Bran said ominously.

 

“Then we will have to ride out to meet them. Some of you may know this, but every person that the White Walkers kill can be turned and added to their undead army, so it is imperative that we stop them sooner rather than later,” Jon said in a clear voice as he looked at their shocked faces.

 

“However, there is a way to defeat them, Bran has informed us that if we kill the Night King then all of his soldiers will fall and that is what I propose we do. We take our best fighters and we strike at the Night King and his generals to end this war. I will not lie, it is a dangerous mission, and not everyone will make it back, but I believe it is a sacrifice that we must consider making,”

 

Jon expected this plan to be met with objections but surprisingly everyone just gave him a grim faced nod that pleased him. They were all willing to do it, even if it cost their own life. He looked at Dany, he knew he would not be able to persuade her to stay, but he knew that she would be on Anogar, Anogar would keep her safe.

 

“How do we kill him?” Tormund asked

 

“Fire from our dragons is our safest bet, but the Night King has weapons that can bring them down. We may have to set up a trap of sorts. Try and trap them in a valley of sorts, and use the dragons to pin them in from the sides whilst our men go in on the ground to fight through them and reach the Night King. Either way, we have time to figure out a plan, and it needs to be a good one, we won’t get more than one chance at this,” Jon said as he looked to the assembled group.

 

Then he led them all inside to plan this assault, it would be the hardest thing he had ever done, but he had to do it. They couldn’t let the White Walkers get any stronger than they already were

 

* * *

 

 

Jon woke up with Daenerys the following morning; they had spent the rest of the evening planning their strategy. The plan was relatively straight forward. They would ride out of Winterfell with 6,000 men, composed of Wildlings, Northmen and Unsullied, all armed with dragonglass weapons. Supporting them from the air would be the three dragons that would provide support with their fire as well as scout the location of the Night King.

 

Once the Night King had been spotted, it would then be up to Jon, Robb, Lord Stark, Tormund, Ser Barristan, Ser Loras and Ser Jorah to land and kill him to end the war, and Jon knew that would be far more difficult than it sounded.

 

He gently rubbed his eyes as he slowly sat up in bed taking care not to wake Dany but surprisingly, she was already awake

 

“Good morning,” he whispered “I didn’t know that you were awake,”

 

“I couldn’t sleep much to be honest,” Dany answered. “I was thinking of Daeron and Lyanna, I miss them,”

 

“I know, so do I,” Jon said as he gently rubbed her shoulders

 

“A part of me wants to be selfish and fly back to Kings Landing and take them far away from Westeros. Somewhere safe like the Summer Islands where I can watch them grow and smile and laugh,” she admitted. “But I know I can’t do that. I’m not just a mother, but also a Queen, and I have a duty to all of the people of Westeros, to all of the little children. To Cregan and Elena and to Rhaegar, we can’t let them get away with what he did,”

 

Jon gazed into her fierce purple eyes and he smiled,

 

“I love how fierce you are,” he told her as he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “When this is over, we’ll be able to spend as much time as we want with them, I haven’t been there for them as much as I should have these past few months,”

 

Dany smiled and gave him a kiss in return. “Come on my love, let’s get ready for the day, it will be a long one, but I wouldn’t want to do it without you,”

 

* * *

 

They left Winterfell shortly after breakfast. Jon flew over the center of the formation with Daenerys to his left and Caraxes to the right. They knew that in the heat of battle it would be impossible to control Caraxes, but they could only hope that he would help in anyway that he could. Ser Jorah flew with Daenerys, Jon insisted that she had someone with her to protect her incase anything happened. Just to be safe, she would not be landing until they reached Winterfell again.

 

Robb, Ser Jorah, Ser Barristan and the others would be somewhere in the formation, he would have to land and pick them up as soon as they saw the Night King. They had gone over this in the morning as well; everyone would know their roles and positions.

 

Bran had said that the Night King was near the Eastern bank of the Long Lake near the Lonely hills. Jon was not pleased about this, fighting in the woods would mean that the White Walkers could creep up to their men and spook them. Jon knew that these men were brave, but nothing could ever prepare you for your first sight of a White Walker.

 

They were flying North over the Wolfswood, Vedros released a gentle stream of flame that cleared some of the snow before they took up higher in the air again. He looked over to his left and saw that Dany had followed this maneuver and now it was time to scout.

 

It was more difficult than they had planned, as there was a low lying layer of cloud that prevented them from flying too highly. He peered over the left right side of Vedros as he flew, he could see the frozen waters of the Long Lake and the tips of the trees were covered in snow, what he couldn’t see, was any sign of the White Walkers.

 

They continued further North until they were over the lake; they did one lap around it before Anogar released a loud roar. Jon quickly turned his head and then he saw what Daenerys did, there was a storm in that direction, and they knew what that meant.

 

They quickly flew back to the main forces and Jon landed hastily in a clearing that they found, once he was on the ground he started to bark out orders

 

“We have spotted them to the Southwest, just over this hill. If we climb it, then our archers will have the highground to release their arrows. Then we will all ride down the hill and crush them on the banks of the river,” Jon said in a clear voice. Everyman in the circle gave him a nod in agreement and then Jon broke the huddle

 

“Now, everyone who is with me, climb up, everyone else, good luck. Remember your dragonglass, today we rid the world of the Walkers!”

 

They were only on the ground for a few moments, but in that time, the weather grew even colder and the wind seemed to pick up, it was due to the power of the Walkers, Jon knew. He quickly took his seat on Vedros and they took off into the air again. As they climbed he saw the rest of the men quickly scaling the hill as he ordered, the direwolves would be on the ground with them.

 

Daenerys and Caraxes were already waiting for them above. Once Jon was at their level he looked towards his wife, gave her a little wave before he steadied himself in the saddle.

 

“Everybody hang on; don’t forget to thread the rope around each other!” Jon shouted over the wind. As he had passengers with him, he was not planning on doing many rolls or flips with Vedros, but he had made them all aware that he would do it if they had no choice. The rope would help them from falling off the side and down to their deaths.

 

He received two quick taps on his shoulder that was his signal that everything was fine, and then he closed his eyes and spoke to Vedros in Valyrian.

 

Anogar gave an impatient huff and Jon gently urged Vedros forward, his dragon did not need any encouragement. With a puff of smoke and a powerful roar, she surged forward through the icy air. She cut up over the crest of the hill before diving down. He could see the White Walkers in front of him, with their Ice Spiders and other creatures, as he had hoped, they had caught them unaware. He felt Vedros wind up and release a torrent of angry green flame down below, burning their enemies where they stood. They quickly pulled up again before she swung her left wing down and brought them around in a circle again and Jon surveyed what he saw.

 

The initial attacks with the dragons had been very effective. Each dragon had destroyed a chunk of the enemy army with their flame and now their men were there to finish the job. They would have to be careful now, as they did not want to burn their allies, but the dragons could still help.

 

Vedros swung to the right and quickly started a low descent, Jon closed his eyes and tried to see what Vedros saw and after a moment he did. There were 5 White Walkers in a tight pack, all of them riding on Ice Spiders and reanimated Shadowcats that had to be their target. Vedros roared and Jon quickly looked towards Dany, waving his arms at her to send her a message that she thankfully understood.

 

Vedros roared again as she quickly descended to the ground, whilst they did this, Caraxes and Anogar would circle above, providing aerial support. Vedros hit the ground with a loud thud and quickly swung her tail around to clear the area behind them.

  
“Everyone off!” Jon roared as he quickly jumped off the side of his dragon. He simultaneously drew his sword as his feet touched the ground as he quickly scanned for enemies. A few of the wights had managed to get close but Vedros dispatched them with ease.

 

He turned and saw everyone was off and then Jon matched forward into the battle. He heard Vedros take off again but his eyes were focused on what was in front of him. The White Walkers he saw were on the edge of the treeline to his right and that was the direction he headed.

 

Jon quickly cut through the first wight in his path before pivoting on his heel and bringing his sword through the ribs of another, killing two in a matter of seconds. He did not waste anytime, he just moved onto the next.

 

A wild shadowcat charged towards him, its long fangs threatening to swallow him whole. Jon, stood his ground, braced himself before quickly spinning out of the way at the last second and dragging his sword along the beast’s side, gutting it. He turned and he saw Robb finish the beast off, with a dagger through its skull. Jon nodded his thanks before he continued forward again.

 

Then he saw the Direwolves, both Ghost and Greywind were tearing their way through the wights. Knocking them to the floor, away from their own soldiers. The direwolves joined their group as they made their way towards the treeline. He saw the White Walkers briefly and it looked like they were retreating into the treeline.

 

Jon had a decision to make, he knew that he could be heading into a trap, but he also could not afford to let the Night King get away. He only hesitated for a second before he quickly started to follow them.

 

He headed further to the right and broke into a jog as he tried to cut them off. The ground crunched underneath his boots as he held his sword out in front of him. The White Walkers seemingly made no noise in the forest and after a few moments Jon realised that he had no idea where they were.

 

He quickly stopped where he was and looked around. The myriad of branches blocked parts of the sunlight and Jon found it difficult to see into the forest around them.

 

“Where are they?” he asked as he quickly span around in a circle, no one had an answer for him. Then out of the corner of his eye he spotted something. A sliver of Ice, creeping behind Lord Stark, Jon quickly realised what it was. Greywind howled loudly to get his attention

 

“Look out!” Jon screamed at Lord Stark but it was too late. Jon stood rooted to the spot as the White Walker crept up behind Ned, ready to kill him. Then, from out of nowhere, a blur of white flew across his vision, knocking Ned completely to the ground. Ghost had done what he couldn’t, he had saved Ned

 

“Move!” Tormund shouted as he shoved him in the back, this caused Jon to snap into action. He spun and saw another White Walker trying to sneak up behind him and he brought up his sword in a blur of rage.

 

Jon blocked the White Walkers blade with his own, ignoring the fierce ringing noise it made before Ghost knocked him to the floor. Jon quickly readjusted himself and drove his sword through the White Walker’s skull, crushing it to dust.

 

Once again, the White Walker seemingly melted in front of him but Jon did not waste time watching it. He turned around and saw Ser Barristan and Ser Loras finishing off the Walker who had attacked Ned and as soon as that Walker died, all of the wights died.

 

Jon spun around, it seemed that Bran was right, killing the Walkers did seem to kill them all, but they didn’t kill the Night King. Where was he? He had to be here, this is where their main forces were. It didn’t make sense.

 

“Father,” Robb called as he sunk down in the snow next to him. Jon watched as Ned moved groggily before he slowly sat up in the snow

 

”we need to move,” Jon said after a moment 

 

Once they were on the other side, they saw that the fighting here was over, and once again, this surprised Jon.

 

Could it be that all of these wights had been controlled by those two White Walkers? That was a reasonable explanation. However, the Night King wasn’t here. So where was he?

 

Anogar landed infront of him and he saw Dany was unharmed.

 

“Jon, we were wrong. This was a distraction, their main host isn’t here, and the battle was too quick,”

 

Jon threw his head back in frustration; the White Walkers had tricked him again. They were always one step ahead of him, moving him around like he was just another cyvasse piece. That would explain why the Night King wasn’t here after all.

 

“Where are they then?” Jon asked to no one in particular but unfortunately Daenerys answered again

 

“Jon, I saw them. They’re heading to Winterfell and we won’t make it back in time,” Dany said with a sorry look towards Robb. Jon shook his head

 

“Yes we will, we have no choice. Get as many men as we can carry on these dragons and we go, we can’t let Winterfell fall,”

 

“Why not?” Tormund asked. “It’s just another castle,”

“No, it’s not Tormund,” Jon said as he remembered what Bran said. If they took Winterfell, then they would take the Night Queen. “If they take Winterfell, it’s all over.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is called "The Children" and it should be out in a week or so. We're nearly at the end here
> 
> Thanks for all the support on this story, comments are always appreciated
> 
> Thanks for reading.  
> Sleepy


	10. The Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will they save the children?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who read the last chapter, there was an error in it that had since been fixed. The error involved a character death that should not have happened, I am sorry for that mistake. 
> 
> The error is near the end in Jons POV.
> 
> Without further ado, here is the final 'real' chapter in this series. I hope you enjoy it....

  
  
  
  
  


**The Sands of Dorne**

  
  


Obara and her sisters  were with Lord Varys in an old rundown tavern  of Kings Landing. They had been in the city for just a day when they received a secret message telling them to meet, and that is how they found themselves  seated across from a very angry Lord Varys

 

“I can not believe  that you failed,” he hissed. “You had one task, one simple task, all you needed  to do was unite your father’s people behind you. To make them aware of the injustices  that they had  suffered , but you could not do  even that,”

 

“It was  more difficult than we had thought ,” Obara insisted as her cheeks flushed in anger. “The people in Dorne do not wish to fight the Dragons, and they do not wish to fight for Trystane either,” 

 

“Then you  should have convinced them!” Varys insisted as his eyes narrowed to slits. Obara opened her mouth to speak again but he rudely silenced her. “Enough with the excuses, I do not want to hear anymore, luckily for you I have  prepared a contingency plan,”   
  


“What is that?” Tyene asked 

 

“None of your concern. Your task is  very simple, to find the two little  hatchlings , and deliver them to me,” 

 

“No, I thought the agreement was that we would hold them until we had our cousin back,” Obara said firmly but Varys only scowled. 

 

“You have shown that you  cannot be trusted  with important tasks . No you will bring them to me at the location we agreed  upon ,” 

 

Obara bit the inside of her mouth as she stared at Varys, the sooner they got Arianne back, the sooner they could be rid of this fool.  She also knew that without the children, they had no leverage against Varys ;  there was no way that they could hold him to his word. However, she also realised that they had not choice, they had to blindly trust him. 

 

“Tell us how then,” Nymeria said and Obara could tell  that  her sister was also getting annoyed. 

 

“There are a series of tunnels that lead into the castle itself. I will take you there and get you into the castle. Once you are inside, you will need to be disguised in order to move around freely. Check for the  young hatchlings in the nursery inside the innermost castle. Check near the Godswood or their parents chambers, when you find them, bring them to me and I will take care of the rest,” 

 

Obara looked at her sisters and then nodded quickly.    
  


“Very well, Lord Varys, let’s get this over with,” she said in an icy tone. 

  
  


**The King of Westeros**

  
  


Jon and Dany raced back to Winterfell as fast as their dragons would take them. They were flying dangerously low to the ground in order to save as much time as they could. Jon could see the White Walker host ahead of him, already at the castle walls. Once again he cursed himself, how could he let this happen again?

 

Vedros released a loud roar as they finally cleared the forest. She circled over to the South side of Winterfell before landing as best she could in the courtyard. As soon as she hit the ground, Jon threw himself off her side and onto the ground and his companions followed. He looked up and saw that Anogar and Caraxes were still flying above, scouting to see what they could safely burn. Jon had no wishes for Dany to be involved in this fight on the ground, if things got too dangerous, he prayed that Anogar would take her away somewhere safe. 

 

His eyes quickly scanned the courtyard ; he saw that the White Walkers had taken them by surprise as people were scrambling around, dragging supplies to the tops of the walls where they could fight. 

 

“With me!” he shouted as he began to hurry to the Northern gate. He could see the gate itself starting to surge under the strain of the assault. “We can’t let the gate fall!” Jon added as he ran towards it however it looked like he  had spoken to soon. Moments later, the Northern gate to Winterfell creaked and groaned before it succumbed to the pressure.

 

Jon watched as the enemy flooded through the ruined gate like a torrential flood. In the lead were two large mammoths, the two beasts that broke the gate in the first place. Then he quickly turned his head, and saw that thankfully Vedros had not yet left the ground

 

“Everybody move!” he yelled as he sprinted to one side and thankfully the men followed. As soon as they had thrown themselves out of the way, Vedros released a blast of her bright green flame at the gate and when she was finished. Every single wight and White Walker that had entered the gate had been destroyed. Jon felt a rush of pride and thanked his dragon for her help. 

 

Then, almost as soon as he did that, even more came pouring through. 

 

“It never fucking ends , does it?” Robb asked as he rose to his feet. His eyes quickly scanned around as he looked for the Night King. Right now, that was his priority, the only thing he could do to end it for good. 

 

“Margaery!” Robb shouted and that got Jon’s attention, he quickly followed Robb’s eyes as he watched the Wights stream towards the tower where Margarey was resting with her babes. This was not good, this was what he had wanted to avoid. 

 

“Margaery! I’m coming!” Robb yelled as he drew his weapon and charged into the  fray . 

 

“Ser Loras, with him!” Jon shouted immediately, he knew better than to try and stop him and thankfully so did Loras. Realising that he was of no use standing  there , Jon sprung into action. He knew that protecting the crypts was also a key objective, so he headed off in that direction. 

 

The winter storm that  accompanied the White Walkers had descended  upon the castle, nearly taking away all of Jon’s visibility. He could barely see beyond the tip of his sword in front of him and this scared Jon. He had no idea what was in front of him, no idea what was behind him. He would be fighting alone. 

 

He heard the roars of the dragon above him as  they released their fire down onto their enemies. Their flames were powerful enough to burst through the blizzard, offering him brief moments of vision and that was all Jon needed. 

 

A flash of green illuminated his opponent. A white Walker wielding a long  translucent  spear of ice. Jon quickly sprung towards him, angling his sword for an aggressive swing. Another flash told him that the White Walker had ducked, and Jon quickly readjusted his aim to slice through the Walkers neck in one swing. Jon allowed a small smile to cross his face. The White Walkers thought that this blizzard gave them the edge and this meant that they were sloppy. 

 

Jon was able to kill another two walkers in similar fashion, capitalising on their overconfidence. He was about to move onto his fourth when suddenly, the blizzard stopped. 

 

Jon quickly looked around, and then he saw him. The Night King had entered the fray, riding on the back of a fierce shadowcat that growled and snarled in his direction. The Night King was holding his hands aloft, almost as if he controlled the weather. Jon saw him and realised that this was his chance, but he knew that he would not be able to take  on both the Night King  _ and _ his beast. 

 

Just as a plan formulated in his mind, he saw someone being dragged across the courtyard. Jon narrowed his eyes as he tried to make out the person and he was shocked when he saw who it was. 

 

“ Uncle Ned!” Jon shouted as he watched the Walkers drag him to their leader. Jon began to move towards him but he would not get their in time. Jon was powerless to watch as the Night King reached for his sword, and drive it through Ned Stark's stomach. 

 

Jon shouted again as he shook his head. He had failed to protect Ned  Stark , the man who had protected him all his life. 

 

However, the Night King was not done ; he reached out with his left hand to touch the blood that had accumulated on the tip of his sword, wetting each of his fingers with it. Then, he turned his arm, so his palm faced the sky and then he looked in the direction of the crypts. 

 

He slowly raised his left arm and Jon paused as he watched, then he felt the ground begin to shake beneath his feet. Then it began to shake so hard that Jon fell to his knees. He wondered what the Night King could be doing, what magic had he summoned this time, then suddenly the shaking stopped and Jon took a quick look around him. 

 

He looked around and saw nothing unusual, nearly every man had fallen to the floor after the intense shaking but he saw nothing else. Then he looked up at the sky and his mouth opened in shock.

 

Hovering above the ground was the Night Queen. Jon struggled to describe her. She looked like a statue, like everyone else in the crypts, yet she was not a statue made out of the stone. She looked as if she was made out of wood or bronze. It almost reminded him of a scarecrow, used to scare away birds.  Jon knew that she was not made by man, as no man could craft something as intricate as this  statue .

 

Jon watched as she slowly started to descend towards the Godswood and he heard the White Walkers give a victorious screech as they slowly started to march towards her. 

 

Jon realised that this was it, he had to stop the Night King now and so he charged towards him. He broke into a sprint ; to his left he saw Ghost and Greywind  bounding towards the Night King, eager to assist him. The shadowcat turned towards him and snarled, showing off its impressively long fangs but Jon did not flinch. The shadowcat turned towards him and reared  its head, ready to charge.

 

Jon grit his teeth as he closed the distance, then he heard a loud roar as Caraxes came thundering down from the sky. The noise startled the shadowcat and threw the Night King off his back and Jon smiled at his fortune. 

 

Caraxes, his father’s dragon, had presented him with a golden opportunity to end this and he was determined to take it. Jon adjusted his course, he spotted a shortcut over a  few barrels and he quickly sprang over them. In the same motion, he readied Darkfyre, angling the blade for the Night King’s throat.

 

Jon realised that he had him, he was so close,  and this had to be it. 

 

The Night King turned to look at him and Jon stared into his ice blue eyes. A hint of something flashed over them, was it fear? Shock? Anger? He was not sure. He began to drive his sword forward, aiming it right for the Night King’s throat when the Night King moved. 

 

His strike went harmlessly past the Night King and Jon was stunned by how quickly the Night King had moved. Jon quickly span around again to face his opponent and he barely got his sword around to block the Night Kings own savage counter attack. 

 

Jon was immediately forced onto the defensive ; he staggered backwards as the Night King ’s sword moved in a blur. He managed to block some of his strikes, parry a few more but even he knew that far too many got past his guard, had it not been for his Valyrian Steel armour, he would have been finished. 

 

The Night King released a roar of frustration before he quickly sprung forward and hit Jon with his shoulder. The force knocked Jon backwards and across the ground until he came to rest in a bale of hay. Jon groaned as his hands immediately went to his ribs again, sure that they were broken once more. 

 

He spied Darkfyre over to his right,  its jewelled  hilt glittering magnificently in the light. Then he looked up at him, the Night King was looking down at him victoriously, but the killing blow did not come. Instead, the Night King spoke in  the White Walker language, the words sounded musical then he turned and walked away in the direction of the Godswood.  Was he saving him for last? Did he want to show him the power that he would wield after he bonded with the Night Queen?

 

Jon released another loud audible groan as he pulled himself forward along the snow covered ground. He had to get up, he had to keep fighting. 

 

For Rhaegar, he had to do it for his father. 

  
  


**The Young Wolf**

  
  


Robb and Loras burst through the castle, cutting through any wight that stood in their way. He thundered up the narrow spiraling stairs to where Margaery would be.  A pile of bodies lay at the foot of the stairs along with the fur of a beast but Robb paid it no attention.

 

“Margaery!” he shouted as he climbed. “Margaery!” 

 

He entered the candle lit hallway and he slowed down. The guards at the door were slumped to the floor , dead. 

 

“No,” Robb whispered as he shook his head. He quickly ran down the hallway and then burst into the room and he found the bed empty. “Margaery!” he yelled as he ran towards the bed, he feared the worst. He could not see any sign of either his wife or his children.

 

“In here!” he heard a familiar voice say and he breathed a quick sigh of relief. He ran over to the closet and pulled open the door and there they were. Margaery and the wet nurse stood inside , looking scared to death.

 

“It’s alright,” Robb said soothingly as he quickly embraced her. She shivered in his arms and Robb did his best to calm her down.

 

“There were so many  of them, Robb,” Margaery sobbed. “So many. We tried to hold them off. Shaggydog helped, he took so many but they kept on coming,”

 

“Shhhh,” Robb whispered as he gently rubbed her back. The wet nurse was holding onto Elena and Margaery had Cregan that was good.

 

“And Catelyn, she saved us too,” Margaery sobbed 

 

“Mother?” Robb asked and Margaery nodded. He slowly turned around and then he saw her. His beautiful mother was slumped over in the corner, blood soaking her clothes from a wound beneath her breast. In one hand he saw a dagger, one of the dragonglass daggers that they had left  behind and then Robb understood.

 

His mother had given her life to protect his wife and children, and that thought brought him to tears.

 

“It’s  all right, Margaery,” he whispered. He saw Loras reach out to take Elena and he did his best to comfort the wet nurse.

 

“Where did they go? I heard them outside, scratching at the door, kicking it in, and then they just went,” Margaery sobbed. “Where did they go?”

 

“Far from here,” Robb reassured her. “We are safe, we will be safe,” Robb promised her, but even he did not know how true those words were. 

  
  
  


**The Dragon’s Hand**

  
  


Tyrion Lannister was  seated in the small council room of Kings Landing, it was the middle of an otherwise uneventful day, but nevertheless they had a crisis on their hands. 

 

“Riots, everywhere in the city,” the commander of the City Watch reported to him. “I need more men,” 

 

Tyrion sighed  as he began to explain the situation again.

 

“You can’t have more men ; you  must work with what you have ,”

 

“Lord Hand, you don’t understand, this is unlike any riot  that I have ever seen, in fact, I would go as far as to say that this is a  pre- planned attack,” the Commander insisted, his cheeks flushed red. 

 

“Who would be so foolish as to attack Kings Landing?” Arianne Martell asked from her seat. The Dornish Princess  was seated across from Tyrion and she looked very concerned. “The Targaryens have their dragons, and the world has already seen their power,”

 

“The  power of the dragons only exists in the open, perhaps they gambled on the Targaryens being unwilling to unleash them on their own city  where large numbers of innocent people could be harmed ,” Ser Jaime suggested and Tyrion nodded in agreement, that made sense. 

 

“That doesn’t answer my question, who would be so foolish to attack the city? What do they hope to gain?” Arianne asked in her Dornish drawl. 

 

“Do they have any banners?” Brienne asked and the Commander snorted.

 

“Banners? It is a riot ,  my lady,” he said as he shook his head and Tyrion sighed. All of the extra Unsullied in the city had been shipped North, off to Winterfell to fight the White Walkers. The Dothraki were an option, but it would be nearly impossible to make contact with them. 

 

“Jaime, did you write to Myrcella and Tommen?” he asked and his brother nodded. That was a relief, perhaps they would arrive in time to provide some assistance. 

 

“Commander, I  cannot spare you more men, I have no more men to give. You will have to restore peace by whatever means you can,” Tyrion said and the commander only huffed in frustration. “Jaime, you and Brienne secure the Red Keep. Make sure that no one enters or leaves until we have the situation under control. I will go and meet with  the  Queen’s ladies in waiting and make sure they are aware of the situation,”

 

“What about me?” Arianne asked

 

“Back to your chambers in the  M aidenvault,” Tyrion said immediately. She wasn’t officially part of the small council, but she had been here when the commander of the goldcloaks burst in. Arianne made a face, but did not offer much opposition as she slowly rose to her feet and left the hall. 

 

Tyrion followed her soon after as he headed towards Maegor’s holdfast. During the day, the children were nearly always in their nursery. It was a secure room deep inside of Maegor’s holdfast which itself was almost like a castle within the red keep.  Tyrion knew that Maegor’s holdfast had  its own stores and if needed, this castle could hold out as if they were under siege.  Still, he knew that it would be best to warn them just in case they had any plans for the afternoon. 

 

He made his way through the wide candle lit corridors of the Red Keep and then he hurried across the bridge that connected Maegor’s holdfast with the rest of the Red Keep. Two guards stood on duty on both ends of the bridge.

 

Once inside, he headed straight towards the nursery, where he found them all inside. Sansa held onto Princess Lyanna whilst Prince Daeron was playing with his blocks. The little  P rince had an intense look of concentration on his face as he tried to build a tower ; Tyrion thought he looked eerily like his father at that moment

 

“Lyanna, can you say Arya?” Sansa asked the little girl. 

 

“Aya!” the girl shouted eagerly. “Aya!” 

 

“Good girl!” Sansa said as she poked her gently on the nose. Tyrion cleared his throat to announce himself and that caught their attention.

 

“Lord Tyrion,” Sansa said as she settled Lyanna in her lap. 

 

“Lady Sansa, how are you today?”

 

“I am well, how are you?” 

 

“I am fine. Where is the Lady Arya or Missandei?” Tyrion asked as he peered around the room. In the corner he saw Nymeria, Arya’s direwolf. The great wolf was lounging in the corner paying no interest to anyone. 

 

“Arya is training and Missy just stepped out for a few moments, why?” 

 

“Well, there is a bit of a situation in the city,” Tyrion began slowly, “A riot of sorts, a bad one. Until that is sorted I want to keep the children as safe as possible, so we will keep them in Maegor's holdfast with the remaining  Kingsguard outside the doors,”

 

Sansa nodded quickly “ Very well , I will  inform them  of what is happening. Have you sent a raven to Jon or Daenerys?” she asked and Tyrion shook his head. 

 

“I will do that now, my priority is their children,” he said as he began to turn away. Tyrion shook his head as he hurried back outside and into the cold. Sending a raven to the Queen would be difficult and nearly useless in this situation. She could be anywhere from Winterfell to Castle Black or anywhere inbetween, no, he would have to solve this without their help

  
  
  


**The Three Eyed Raven**

  
  


Bran Stark was  seated alone in the Godswood next to the heart tree. Events had unfolded just as he knew they would. It was unfortunate ;  the death of his  parents but it could not be avoided. To save the world, sacrifices needed to be made, it was the only way.

 

He cast his eyes up towards the grey sky towards the Night Queen’s statue. It was a relic, a symbol of the times when it was created, Bran knew that the White Walkers would flock towards it, like a moth to a flame, and then it would be his time to strike 

 

He knew that in order to defeat the White Walkers, you could not be reactionary. Jon was reactionary, and he had been outsmarted at every turn. No, Bran had to be smarter, he had to  _ learn _ what the three eyed raven had thought him. 

 

And Bran had finally learned that message. 

 

It was something that he had seen his grandfather, Rickard Stark, say to his children in the courtyard of Winterfell many years ago.

 

“ _Remember that you are a Stark, comport yourself with dignity at the Vale, and try to stay out of fights..._ _but if you have to fight, win.”_

 

Those were the words that were said, and those were the words that he now understood. It was why the three eyed raven had shown him what had happened outside of the Tower of Joy. His father had defeated Arthur Dayne, not because Ned Stark was a better swordsman, but because Howland Reed had snuck up behind him and stabbed him in the back. There was nothing honorable about it, but it  _ worked _ and that was all that mattered. 

 

So Bran had acted on those words, what he had done was not honorable, but Bran did not care about being honorable, he cared about winning.

 

And as Bran looked up at the Night King slowly ascending towards the Night Queen, Bran knew that victory was within his grasp, all he had to do was close his eyes and wait. He had to wait for his opponent to reach for his trophy  so that his guard would be lowered , to finally make himself vulnerable.  Once he did that, then Jon would have to strike. 

  
  
  


**The King of Westeros**

  
  
  


Jon’s gloved hand  grasped  Darkfyre just as Ser Barristan reached him.

 

“Your grace, are you alright?” the knight asked with concern all over his face. He quickly helped Jon to his feet and sat him on an overturned box

  
“Aye,” Jon said as he slowly caught his breath “Just a little winded,” 

 

“I was right behind you as you started to charge towards him, but a Wight came up behind you and I had to stop it,”

 

“It’s alright,” Jon said as he looked around the ruin courtyard. He saw that several fires were raging despite the elements. Then he saw all of the White Walkers and their forces heading towards the Godswood. “We need to go,” 

 

“Allow me to take the lead,” Ser Barristan insisted as he helped him to his feet. Jon just nodded as he started to slowly make his way across the courtyard. 

 

“This way, I know a shortcut,” Jon said as he directed Ser Barristan. Along the way ,  they found Tormund and he quickly joined them as they tried to sneak in towards the Godswood.

 

“When we were younger, we loved playing in the Godswood,” Jon said as they kept on walking. “There were so many places to hide and get up to mischief. If we bush those boxes close to that wall, we should be able to climb in,” 

 

Tormund quickly ran over to the boxes and then pushed them up against the wall. 

 

“Where are the dragons?” Jon asked as he looked up at the sky which had gone suspiciously quiet.

 

“We don’t know your grace. Perhaps, the Queen has realised that by releasing dragonfire on the castle itself, she runs the risk of killing you, along with any White Walkers,”

 

“Perhaps,” Jon said quietly. It certainly made sense, although he only hoped that Dany would not hold back if they couldn’t stop the Night King. He closed his eyes and he reached for Vedros and thankfully he could still feel his dragon. Then he searched again and he found Ghost, who was already in the Godswood.

 

Once they were all over  the wall and in the quiet sanctuary of the Godswood, Jon did his best to come up with a plan

 

“Right so, we only have one more chance at this,” Jon said “We have to kill the Night King. There’s going to be a moment where I call Vedros in from above and she will  create a distraction. That is when we strike,”

 

“Are we just going to charge straight at the Night King and hope to kill him?” Tormund asked and Jon gave a nod of the head. “That is absolutely fucking crazy,”

 

“Tormund, all of the plans that I’ve had have failed so far, if we let the Night King join with the Night Queen, then it’s all over. We have nothing else to lose,” Jon said and after a moment, the ginger haired man nodded. 

 

Then they silently began to make their way through the trees. Jon held Darkfyre out in front of him as they did their best to hurry, he did not know how long they had. 

 

“There,” Barristan said as he pointed ahead in the treeline. Jon followed his finger and then he saw them. The White Walkers were moving slowly once again, almost as if they were on a victory procession. He saw the Night King in the lead, flanked by two more White Walkers. They continued onwards for a few more steps, until the Night King stopped them and raised his hand, he then proceeded alone

 

“This is our chance,” Jon said as he closed his eyes. Vedros immediately answered as she filled the ear with an earth shattering roar. “Come on,” 

 

With the dragons screeching loudly up above, they did not have to worry about keeping quiet and so they reached the Night King in a matter of seconds. Vedros swooped down from the sky and released her flame all over the Godswood, torching the sacred place. The fire caused the ranks of White Walkers to split and this was their chance. 

 

They quickly picked their way through the crowd with Jon’s hands moving as fast as lightning. In his hands Darkfyre felt as light as the air it was slicing through as they scattered the Wights. He heard another roar from the sky as the dragons swooped down again, not caring about civilian casualties at this point. 

 

Jon cast his mind back to that day in Valyria when he first hatched Vedros from her egg, he remembered stepping into those flames and not being afraid, and he felt that confidence return to him once again. The blood of the dragon flowed through his veins, and these flames would not hurt him. 

 

Once again, he lost sight of his companions, but his eyes were only locked on his target the Night King. He saw him further ahead, getting close to the Night Queen who had descended to nearly ground level. Jon realised that he was too slow ; he would not make it in time.

 

Jon exploded with a new burst of energy. He sprung forward, slicing through two more wights until he was only a few paces away from the Night King, but it was too late. He watched as the Night King reached out with one hand to reach for the Queen but then he stopped and did something strange

 

Whenever Jon had seen the Night King, he had been almost effortless in his movements, but that had change, suddenly the Night King threw his hands up to his head and started to shake from side to side. It seemed he was distracted, but by what?

 

Jon realised that he did not have time to waste, he ran forward, ducking a spear that was thrown from his left and readying his sword. Once Jon reached the Night King he wasted no time, bringing his sword around in a savage arc aiming for his neck. 

 

However once the Valyrian Steel hit the Night King’s neck, it was met with a strange resistance, one that he had not experienced before. The Night King released a loud guttural scream of pain but Jon’s sword was not able to slice through his neck.  

 

Jon looked around in a panic before he quickly ripped his sword out and then he moved around to his front. Jon looked at the Night King, who was still holding his head. He should have suspected this, the Night King had to be different to all of his generals, but he had to have a weakness. 

 

He quickly looked over his body, looking for a defect, somewhere to drive his blade into but he found nothing. Instead, he quickly turned and looked at the Night Queen. He looked from the  crown of her wooden head all the way down and then he saw something. 

 

In her chest, there was something blue, the same shade of blue as the Night King’s eyes. Then Jon twisted his sword and drove it through the Night King’s heart and this seemed to have more of an effect. 

 

His sword was met with great resistance but he was slowly making progress, soon a quarter of the blade was in, then half and with each passing inch, the Night King’s screams grew louder and more high pitched, so high pitched that after a while, Jon couldn’t hear them anymore. 

 

Then he noticed something else, his sword was uncovering something else inside the Night King. Bright blue piercing light was being released from the Night King’s chest, so bright that even when Jon closed his eyes he could still see it 

 

Then Jon gave one last push and all of the resistance faded away in an instant and he fell forward onto the floor. He opened his eyes again and what he saw shocked him

 

“Where did they go?” Jon asked as he looked around. Before the Godswood had nearly been filled with White Walkers and their wights, now it was empty. Instead, he could only see his friends. What was more peculiar was that the winter storm had completely disappeared, and all of the snow had left the ground.  

 

He looked around and saw that his sword was buried in a pile of pale white powder, this must have been the remains of the Night King.

 

“We did it!” he heard someone shout and he looked up to see Tormund sprinting towards him. “You killed the bastard! Gutted him with that sword of yours!” 

 

“What happened?” Jon asked as Barristan quickly arrived. 

 

“When you drove your sword into his chest, a bright light started to be released and all of the White Walkers froze and started to clutch their chests. Then there was a bright flash of light and when that passed, they were all gone,” Barristan told him and Jon nodded. 

 

He looked around the Godswood, every single tree had been burned down, all except the Heart tree. 

 

“Is that Bran?” he asked as he pointed to a figure near the tree. It had to be, Jon realised,  since no one else used a wheelchair. He started to walk towards him when Anogar swooped down from above carrying his wife.

 

“You did it!” she exclaimed as she ran into his arms. Jon smiled as he hugged her, thankful that she was safe.

 

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he whispered into her ear. 

 

“Where is Robb? Loras? Margaery?” Dany asked as they finally broke apart but Jon shrugged

 

“I haven’t seen them for a while, I’ll look for them now,” Jon told her. In the background, he noticed that Anogar was very restless. He was impatiently swinging his tail and snorting out plumes of black smoke.

 

“Anogar ,  my friend, it is over,” Dany said reassuringly as she slowly walked to her dragon. However ,  it seemed that her touch did not calm him. “Jon ,  I think something is wrong, I need to go,”   
  


“What is it?” Jon asked as she climbed onto his back once again. “Is it the children?” 

 

“I don’t know,” she told him. “Stay here, I will check on them, if it is serious then Vedros will come for you,” 

 

Jon nodded slowly as he backed away from Anogar who took off into the air in a hurry, heading to their south. For some reason, Dany had a special connection with their children. When she was grieving Rhaegar, it was home where she went and Jon could only imagine that is where she was going now. 

 

“I hope everything is  well ,” Jon said as he watched her go. He had the urge to follow her but he knew that if she needed him, Vedros would take him. So instead he turned around and looked at the ruins of Winterfell. “Now ,  we have to clean this up,”

 

As they walked through the ruins of the Godswood, Ghost fell into stride next to him and they all silently observed the damage. 

 

Bodies were everywhere and nearly all of them were in a mangled, unrecognisable form. The White Walkers certainly did not kill with grace. To make matters worse, the dragonfire had wrecked its own havoc on Winterfell. Jon estimated that over half of the castle was burning, with another significant portion badly damaged. 

 

The new keep, where Robb and Margaery had planned on living had survived the worst of the fire, but everything around it was need of serious repairs. The Ironwood door of the crypt where it all began had been blown clean off its hinges. Jon wondered if there were any more secrets hidden in those depths, he hoped not, he  had his fill of adventure for  several lifetimes . 

 

“Robb,” Jon said as he saw his brother slowly making his way through the wreckage. “Robb!” he shouted and this got his attention. Jon could see that he was with his wife and Loras and he quickly ran over to them

 

“Is it over?” Robb asked and Jon quickly nodded. “Thank gods. My mother…...they got my mother, Jon,” Robb said and Jon nodded sadly.

 

“Lord Stark is also dead,” he added and Robb nodded as well. “Are the babes  well ?” 

 

“Yes,” Margaery said. “My babes are  fine ,” 

 

“That is some consolation,” Jon offered as they looked around. The Northernmost gate and the wall next to it had been reduced to nothing but rubble and ash

 

“Gods Jon, what are we going to do here?” Robb asked after a few silent moments. 

 

“Bury the dead. Probably a mass grave,” Jon said quietly. “Then we will have to rebuild. It will take years, but we will get it done. I can pay for labour from the free cities, import stone and mortar, whatever you need,”

 

“What about now?” Loras asked

 

“Now, we tend to our wounded and prepare for the night. I will organise rescue teams with the Unsullied and then we will construct refugee camps not too far from here. We’ll send a few riders to White Harbour and any place to the south asking for any aid they can send,” Ser Barristan said as he stepped in, for which Jon was thankful for. 

 

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Jon said quietly. “Right now, we prepare for tonight, make sure everyone has food and shelter, then we worry about tomorrow when it comes,” 

 

He looked at them after he  had spoken;  every one of them looked worn down and tired. Even the beautiful Margaery looked like she had aged an extra 5 years. They all nodded in agreement and fell into stride next to him as they left the ruins of Winterfell behind them. 

  
  
  
  


**The Sands of Dorne**

  
  
  


They had managed to sneak into the castle with the help of Varys, and then using his instructions, made their way towards Maegor’s holdfast. Despite her annoyance at Varys, being this close to their target made Obara feel better. With each step, they were closer to getting Ari back.

 

However with each step, the nerves returned. What if they were discovered? What if the children weren’t there? What if they were heavily guarded? 

 

She shook her head as she refocussed, she could not afford to get distracted, not this close. They were so close, too close to fail. The passageway that Varys told them about would take them into the back of a closet in the nursery. Once inside, they would have to grab the children and then head back the way they came. Nymeria was responsible for the boy and Tyene the girl that was the plan. 

 

They continued on through the dimly lit passageway for what felt like an eternity until they reached the marker that Varys had left for them. 

  
“This is it , girls,” Obara whispered to her sisters who all nodded. Then she slowly stepped forward, and slowly pushed back the secret panel and stepped into the wardrobe. Obara slowly opened the wardrobe door and peered into the room. 

  
  


It seemed that the room was empty, there was no noise and she nearly cursed her luck until she saw the crib. Realising what it meant, she held her breath as she opened the door and scanned the room again. Once she was satisfied it was empty, she and her sisters crept forwards until they reached the crib. 

 

Inside  were the little  P rince and  P rincess, fast asleep. 

 

She signalled for her sisters to step forward. Tyene stepped up and gently picked up the girl and then Nymeria stepped forward to grab the boy,  but before she could touch the boy, Nymeria screamed loudly in pain. 

 

“What the fuck!” Obara hissed as she grabbed hold of her sister who had sunk to the floor. “Silence!” 

 

But it was too late, Nymeria’s scream had woken up the little girl who started to scream at the top of her lungs, gods that girl could scream.

 

“Shut her up! Half the castle will hear us!” Obara snapped at Tyene but it was too late. The door to the nursery burst open and instepped two knights with  White Cloaks, Kingsguard, she knew immediately. 

 

“What is the meaning of this!” one knight asked as he drew from his sword. Obara looked at his golden hair ; this one must be Jaime Lannister. Then he looked at the other, an ugly brute of a man with a scar along his face. 

 

“Release the  P rincess immediately!” the knight shouted.

 

“Or what Kingslayer!” Obara returned. She stood her ground but soon more and more men at arms flooded into the room and then her confidence began to wane. 

 

“Release the  P rincess!” Jaime ordered as he held his sword out infront of him. Obara quickly looked around for the boy, hoping that two hostages were better than one. However , he had already scurried away and into the arms of a short woman with dark hair. 

 

“Lya!” the boy screamed as he pointed towards his sister. “That’s MY SISTER!” 

 

Obara realised that their plan had gone horribly wrong ; perhaps they could still escape with just the one. Then she looked at Nymeria, and she saw a horrifying pool of blood pouring from her missing leg. What on earth had happened?

 

“Nymeria?” Obara asked as her sister howled in pain. 

 

“Nymeria is  _ my _ direwolf,” the little woman snarled as she stepped forward. “And if you don’t hand over the  P rincess she’ll rip both of your throats out!” 

 

“Direwolf?” Obara asked in bewilderment as she looked around the room and then she froze at a sight that made her blood run cold. Over to one side of the room was a large wolf, so large that she was sure it would scare most horses.  Its dark golden eyes were staring at her and Tyene and its muzzle was wet and dripping with blood. 

 

She had not seen it when they entered the room ; she had been so focused on the children.

 

“Obara!” a familiar voice asked and Obara turned to look at Arianne who had entered the room. Her cousin looked...well. She was not in chains like Varys had said. She wore comfortable fitting clothes and she looked her normal  self.

 

“Obara, what are you doing here!” Arianne repeated as she stepped in the room

 

“Helping you...rescuing you…” Obara said over the  P rincess ’s incessant wailing. 

 

“Rescuing me? How?  And From what ?”

 

“The Targaryens,” Obara told her, her voice unsteady. “You were their prisoner. Trapped in the castle. We thought that they would keep you in the dungeons, use you to warm their beds at night, give you to their men like a harlot. It was no life for you, so we wanted to rescue you,”   
  


“A harlot? A bed warmer?” Arianne asked “The Targaryens haven’t even  _ looked  _ at me like that. Why would you ever believe this?” 

 

Obara shook her head ; it was another one of Varys’s lies. 

 

“How were you planning on rescuing me? By taking their children? Do you know how crazy that is!” Arianne shouted and this hurt Obara. She was only trying to help.

 

“We had to do something! Your father wouldn’t. We hadn’t heard from you in months! What were we supposed to do?” Obara countered

 

“Not this! Did you think by taking their children you could arrange a swap? Did you think that even if that worked they would  _ ever _ let Dorne live?” Arianne asked and Obara swallowed nervously, no she hadn’t. 

 

“How could you go through with it anyway ? ” Arianne continued as she stepped towards her, her voice soft again. “They are  _ children _ . Something that we hold precious in Dorne,” 

 

“We had to do something,” Obara said weakly but Arianne shook her head. 

 

“Give her to me,” Arianne said to Tyene who slowly handed over the  P rincess who quietened down for Arianne. Obara watched as her cousin then handed over the  P rincess to a lady with long auburn hair. “Obara, you are my cousin, and I love you, but this is madness. You might have saved me, but you would have doomed Dorne, forever,”

 

Obara hung her head in defeat and before long she was roughly forced to the floor and her hands were tied behind her back.

 

“Wait,” Obara croaked as she was lifted up off her feet. She couldn’t bear to look at Nymeria, her sister would die and it was her fault. She would die like an animal, butchered by a wolf. “Varys, you have to get Varys, he is the one who organised the riot,”

 

“The Spider?” Jaime asked and Obara nodded. “Where is he?”   
  


And then Obara told him, she told him where Varys would be waiting. 

 

“Brienne, you stay and  guard the children. Hound, you with me, we have a spider to catch,” Jaime said as he sprinted out of the room. Soon after, Obara and Tyene followed. 

 

The cool winter air felt  rough on her skin as she was marched through the castle, and the  D warf soon joined them.

 

“What will happen to us?” Obara asked as they were taken towards their cells. 

 

“Death most likely,” the  D warf said. “The Queen in particular will not be happy. Not one bit. I fear that you have done irreparable damage to the relationship between Dorne and the Iron Throne,”

 

Then they heard a loud roar coming from above them.

 

“That would be our lovely Queen,” the  D warf said as he stopped. “Perhaps ,  you will not see the dungeon after all. Take her outside for the Queen, if you’re lucky, she will kill you on the spot,” 

 

“The executioner's block?” Obara asked and the dwarf shook his head as he gave her a crooked smile.

 

“No. Dragonfire,” 

 

Obara shuddered in her chains as she was dragged up towards the service again, she could only hope that her death would be quick. 

  
  


**The Queen of Westeros**

  
  


Anogar flew south in a hurry, and that filled her heart with worry. It was nearly dusk when she could see the city in the distance and Anogar gave a loud roar that carried across the land. She thought of her children as they flew, she hoped that they were  fine; she would not be able to live with herself if any harm were to come to her precious babies. 

 

Anogar roared loudly again as they finally flew over the city walls and Dany peered over his left side and what she saw below confused her. She saw fires in the streets and she could see people fighting, was there a riot in her city? How had that happened ?

 

She saw several people look up on her on the back of the dragon and this had an effect on the fighting. The Goldcloaks raised their fists high in the sky as they surged towards their enemies who had started to run and hide. Anogar roared again before released a torrent of his flame high into the evening sky. Then he turned towards the Red Keep and he lazily flew up towards the castle. In the distance ,  Dany could faintly see what looked like an army, approaching the city from the west, however the fading light made it difficult to see  exactly who they were . 

 

Anogar gently perched on the battlement with one of his claws dangling as he lowered his wing for Dany. She slid down it and landed in the main courtyard of the Red Keep, it wasn’t the most  graceful dismount but it got the job done. 

 

She then proceeded to hurry up the stone steps as she headed into the castle. She hurried straight for Maegor’s holdfast to check on her children, hopefully Tyrion had the sense to seal and secure the castle. 

 

She had just made it past the drawbridge that connected the castle when she saw them. Daeron was being held by Arya whilst Lyanna was with Sansa. Then Dany saw her face, Lyanna’s face was red and wet with tears and Dany could still hear her little girl sob.

 

“What happened?” she asked as she hurried towards them

 

“Mama!” Daeron cried as he twisted out of Arya’s hands to run towards her. She quickly grabbed him before heading over to Lyanna who had also noticed her arrival.

 

“Mama,” her little girl croaked and Dany’s heart broke

 

“It’s alright little one, mama is here,” she said softly as she gently started to rock her. Lyanna started to calm down in her arm even though Dany could still hear her sniffle. 

 

“Mama, they try to take Lya,” Daeron told her and Dany shook her head in shock. 

 

“Who? Who would try and take my daughter from me?” she asked Sansa,

 

“Three girls snuck into the nursery and tried to kidnap them,” Sansa  answered quickly and Dany’s eyes widened  in shock . 

 

“How? Who were they?” 

 

“Prince Oberyn’s bastard daughters, Arianne Martell ’s cousins,” Arya told her and Dany scowled. She had treated that woman with nothing but kindness and respect and this is how she was repaid. A plot to take her precious children  from her . Dorne would be punished for this, stripped of all its lands and incomes and razed to the ground. How dare they hurt her children !

 

“Where is she? I will deal with her myself,” Dany said fiercely but Sansa shook her head.

 

“It appears  P rincess Arianne had nothing to do with it,” Sansa hurriedly added. “Arianne arrived last and she was the one who took the  P rincess from the would be kidnappers,”

 

Dany’s mood softened slightly at that but she still had questions

 

“How did they get in?” she repeated

 

“There is a secret tunnel through the back of the closet,” Arya said. “Tyrion has sent men through to check the rest of the tunnel and to see where it leads,”

 

Dany shook her head as she held onto her babies. There could be tunnels everywhere and anywhere, perhaps even in their chambers. Perhaps ,  she should move the children to Dragonstone until the security of the castle was secured ; she would not have any repeat incidents. 

 

“Good, I want every single tunnel mapped and then blocked. I will not have this happen again,” Dany ordered and both women nodded. “Find Lord Tyrion and send him to my chambers, I will need to speak with him,”

 

“At once, your grace,” Sansa said immediately.

 

“Your grace, what happened in the North?” Arya asked and Dany froze. Thoughts of the ruins of Winterfell had been completely pushed from her mind. She also realised that she must have looked terrible. Her hair had come loose during the battle and she could feel the dirt on her skin. 

 

“A lot of things,” Dany said as she sighed. “We won ; Jon defeated the Night King and rid the world of the White Walkers,” 

 

“Wow,” Sansa said as she nodded and Dany smiled, she had been so proud of him when she saw him. He had been magnificent .

 

“That is not all. I am afraid that Winterfell was badly destroyed in the battle, your childhood home is not the same place anymore,” she added and both of their faces fell. “However , there is good news, Margaery gave birth to twins. Elena and Cregan, you have another niece and nephew now,” 

 

Both of their faces lit up  instantly.

 

“Mother and Father must be so happy,” Sansa said and Dany’s smile faltered. She had saw Lord Stark fall. “Are they happy?” Sansa added and Dany could not lie to them

 

“I saw your father fall,” she said

 

“What about Mother? Is she safe?” Sansa asked and Dany realised that she did not know.

 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know, I left straight after the battle to come here, Anogar could sense the danger,” she said gently as she looked at the two women. She offered a small smile before taking Daeron by the hand and leading him towards her chambers

 

Inside, she sat on the bed and hugged them both.

 

“Mama, why did they want Lya?” Daeron asked as he looked up at her. 

 

“They are bad people little one, bad people that wanted to hurt you and your sister,” she said gently. Daeron’s face fell a little.

 

“Why?” he asked sadly

 

“I don’t know little one, bad people do bad things,” she said gently and she saw his face furrow in concentration

 

“I don’t want to be bad person ,  mama,” he said quietly and Dany gave him a gentle kiss

 

“No Daeron, you will be a good person and a good King, mama will teach you how,  all right ?” she said and Daeron slowly nodded.

 

“I miss grandpapa,” he said. “When he coming back?” 

 

Dany bit her lip as she looked at his innocent face. She would have to tell him the truth oneday, she had hoped that he would forget but it seemed her little boy was smarter than she thought. Then she looked at him and how much he had grown in the last few weeks and then she realised something else, she had missed his third nameday

 

“Grandpapa has gone on a trip,” she said after a little while. “The trip is very far so you won’t see him for a long time,” 

 

“Oh,” Daeron said sadly and it hurt her heart to see her son like this.

 

“But before he left, he  gave me a message for you,” she quickly added and Daeron looked at her hopefully. “He said that he loves you and your sister and he will miss you while he’s gone,” 

 

“Mama, I love him too,” Daeron said as he hugged her. 

 

“Come on Daeron, let’s lie down for a little while and sleep,” 

 

“Will Papa come?” Daeron asked and Dany shook her head

 

“Probably not tonight, but he will soon,” Dany answered 

 

“Where he?” 

 

“There were some bad people, and Mama and Papa had to go and stop them before they hurt good people,” Dany said as she gently put Lyanna down in the middle of the bed. Her little girl had already fallen asleep. She put Daeron to lie next to her and after a few songs, he too fell asleep. 

 

Dany watched them sleep for a few moments before she stood up to start undressing. It had been an exceptionally long day and she could feel her tiredness start to overwhelm her. She had finished putting on a loose shift to wear during the night when she heard a knock on the door, it was Tyrion

 

“What is it?” she asked as she poked her head out the door. Outside, she saw the Lady Brienne and Ser Lyn Corbray standing on guard, ever vigilant. 

 

“You asked to see me?” Tyrion said and then Dany remembered, however she quickly realised that she was too tired to deal with Tyrion

 

“Is the riot over?” she asked and Tyrion nodded

 

“Yes , your grace. The Commander of the Gold Cloaks said your timely arrival helped to turn the tide of the battle,  and  then when the reinforcements from the Westerlands came, we were able to round up most of the rebels,”

 

“The Westerlands? How did they arrive so fast?” 

 

“I actually wrote to Myrcella and Tommen around a month or so ago for more men since you were taking the Unsullied North. They got here quicker than expected. I guess the Lannister army still remembers what happens when you disobey a dragon,”

 

“Good, what of the perpetrators, the ones who tried to take my children from me,”

 

“They are in the dungeons, I had thought to bring them to you straight away but I saw that you were busy with your children,”

 

“Are they being put to question?” Dany asked and Tyrion shook his head

 

“I thought you would want to deal with them personally,” he said

 

“No, not tonight. Throw them in the deepest, dampest dungeon you can find. Whip them if you must, I want them to suffer,” Tyrion raised an eyebrow at her after she said this but he wisely chose to not comment on it. 

 

“What will happen to them?” he asked and Dany gave him a look as if he was simple.

 

“For trying to kidnap the Prince and Princess?” she asked and Tyrion took a step back. “They will receive the Dragon’s mercy of course,” 

 

Again Tyrion nodded without commenting on it

  
“What of Dorne, I’m sure you are aware of the political ramifications,” he began but Dany raised a hand towards him

 

“Save it , Tyrion. Dorne will hold until morning, I am tired after a long day of fighting and I wish for nothing but to fall asleep with my children tucked safely around me,” 

 

“Then I bid you sweet dreams your grace,” Tyrion said as he nodded before backing away. Dany closed and locked the door behind her before slowly crawling into bed. Daeron immediately rolled in his sleep towards her and Dany smiled before resting her head on the pillow and within a few moments, she was fast asleep.  

  
  
  


**The Lion of the Rock**

  
  


Jaime Lannister crouched slowly through the dark tunnel ; he had no idea where he was in relation to the world above. He had taken the Hound along with two more men to search for Varys. Obara had described the rendezvous point to him and roughly how to get there but these tunnels all seemed the same to him

 

“Where the  fucks are we Lannister?” the Hound growled as he followed along behind him. “All these tunnels look the same,”

 

“We’re going to the rendezvous point,” Jaime said as he continued to walk through the tunnels. The tunnels had once again begun to slant downwards and Jaime wondered how deep it went. He saw several offshoots and side tunnels but Obara had said to remain on the main path

 

“Has it occured to you that this might be a trap?” the Hound barked a few moments later

 

“Doubtful. Varys expected the girls to be successful, and if they weren’t he wouldn’t expect us to chase him down these tunnels,”

 

“I bloody hope so, I didn’t sign up for this,” the big man said and Jaime sighed,

 

“No ,  you signed up to protect the royal family and this is part of that job. We are chasing down those who tried to kidnap the  P rince and  P rincess,” Jaime said and thankfully the Hound fell quiet. 

 

Jaime shook his head as they continued through the tunnel ; he had been stunned when he burst into the nursery. To allow someone to get that close to the children was inexcusable, never in his years of service under Aerys, Robert and now Aegon and Daenerys had this  ever happened. Had this plot succeeded, then his white cloak would have been worthless. 

 

Jaime remembered that the direwolf had come late in the afternoon and pushed and scratched at the door until she had been let in, and Jaime was thankful for that. He was also thankful for Arianne Martell for arriving when she did. He did not want to risk a fight and harming the  P rincess with a blade. 

 

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a noise from up ahead, it was a faint, but he heard it nevertheless. He held up a hand to silence those behind him as he slowly proceeded up ahead. They were approaching the end of the tunnel, and this had to be the rendezvous point. 

 

“Did you succeed? You better not have returned here empty handed,” a familiar voice said and Jaime froze. Should he reveal himself? He decided against it

 

“I should have known they would have failed,” Varys said softly as he turned and headed off down another tunnel. Jaime waited a few moments before turning back to his men.

 

“Alright, one of you  goes back and get more men. The rest of you with me,” Jaime said as he slowly moved forward. Then he began to hurry down the tunnel that Varys went, after a few moments they reached another fork in the tunnels. 

 

“Hound, you take one and go left, I’ll go right,” Jaime said decisively as he hurried off in that direction, he would not let Varys get away again, he would bring Queen Daenerys his head. 

 

The tunnel turned sharply to the right and then opened up into a wide cavern. It looked like an old storage area. There were barrels all around the room and ontop of the barrels were jars. Jaime slowly crossed over to one and uncorked one to smell it and he gasped at what it was 

 

‘Wildfire’ 

 

He remembered the scent from Aerys’s last days.  The stench had been all over the castle. 

 

He had to find Varys before he did something truly horrible. He slowly and silently drew his sword as he crept around the room. He knew Varys had to be here, this was his work no doubt. Perhaps he had been stealing from the  alchemists’ guild; perhaps this Wildfire had been here the entire time. Jaime knew that after the coronation, the King and Queen ordered for all the Wildfire to be removed, but Aerys and his pyromasters had been incredibly thorough, he would not be surprised if they  could not  find it all. 

 

Jaime made his way to the middle of the room and he froze at what he saw. There was a weird wooden contraption in the middle of the room. There was a chandelier of candles high above the room suspended to the ceiling by one rope. However there was a candle beneath the rope, slowly burning it. 

 

Jaime stepped forward to take a closer look. The chandelier was above a series of jars of Wildfire and then Jaime understood. The rope would burn, dropping the chandelier onto the wildfire and starting the blaze. 

 

He quickly stepped forward to move the jars out of the way, he had to be careful, one wrong move and he could set this whole chain reaction off. He dropped his sword to pick up the first jar, it was heavy and it took all of his strength to move it. 

 

He had moved it halfway across the room when he heard the steps quickly behind. Jaime turned to see Varys sprinting towards him but he was powerless to block him. Varys slammed into his side and Jaime rolled with the blow. 

 

Unfortunately for him Varys landed on top of him, and the smaller man immediately started to stab at his face and neck with a blade. Jaime tried to force him away with one arm but it was difficult to do that and protect his face at the same time. One of Varys’s blades got passed his hands and gouged him in the cheek and Jaime howled in pain.  Then he felt something land on his legs, trapping him in place. 

 

“You had to involve yourself , didn’t you,” Varys hissed as he stabbed at his unprotected face and neck. “You had to save this stinking, worthless city and their corrupt rulers,”

 

“No. They are good, they are our best hope,” Jaime said as he struggled to free himself. He knew  that he was stronger than Varys, but the eunuch had sliced him above his eyes and blood was pouring into his vision, blinding him. 

 

“Fuck them and fuck those bastard girls too. They failed me. I should have blown this city at dawn,” 

 

“No , you won’t succeed,” Jaime croaked as he started to feel faint from the blood loss. “More men are coming,” 

 

“They won’t get here in time,” Varys said as he continued to stab at his face. Jaime knew he was growing weaker and weaker from all the cuts. Soon , he did not have the energy to speak to Varys

 

Then, he faintly felt the weight on his legs being removed and strong arms supporting his sides

 

“Aye, hang in there you bastard,” a gruff voice said in his ear. 

 

“Hound?” Jaime faintly asked, his face was starting to feel numb from the lost blood. 

 

“Aye it’s me. We got him,”

 

“Wildfire,” Jaime whispered as he felt his life leaving him

 

“I know, we’re stopping it right now,” the Hound said and Jaime breathed a sigh of relief. He struggled for his neck breath 

 

“We’ll get you to a maester and he’ll get you patched up,” the Hound said and Jaime released another short sigh. He knew he would not make it to the maester in time, the tunnels were too long. However as Jaime Lannister took his final breath, he took a small amount of solace in the fact that he had saved Kings Landing from a fiery doom 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is called "The End" 
> 
> In that chapter we will have a special POV from an important character in this story that we have never heard from before....can you guess?
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter. Comments are always appreciated. The final chapter will be out this weekend most likely
> 
> Thanks for reading  
> Sleepy


	11. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After nearly 500,000 words, we are finally at the end of this story. I have to admit, when I first started to write this story back in October of last year, I had no idea it would get to this side, or that it would take me to all of these places. 
> 
> I've come to love this world that I've created and the characters in them, and I think that some of you have as well. 
> 
> So I'd like to say thank you all for reading, I don't know when I'll be back with another story of this size. I wish you all the best for 2019 in whatever it is you're doing, whether it's work or school. I have read each and everyone of your comments and I am sure that I have spoken to you all at least once, some more than that. 
> 
> Special thanks to GOT88, without him, none of this would have been possible
> 
> I'll stop rambling, I have flights to catch over the next few days, so I’ll reply to your comments after as well as fix any formatting. Meanwhile here's the final chapter, enjoy

  
  


**The King of Westeros**

  


Jon woke up as the first few soft rays of light crept through the curtains onto the rest of his body. Their marriage bed was a mess, with sheets strewn everywhere as a result of their passion for one another. Daenerys’s back was towards him, with her long silver hair flowing gently down her back. He smiled at the sight of her; she had changed a lot from the young woman that he had first met in Pentos.

 

Her body was strong from her years of riding and motherhood had widened her hips a touch and caused her ass to plumpen. Her breasts as ever, fit perfectly in his hands. He smiled before kissing the back of her neck and Daenerys stirred and wiggled her hips against his hardening length.

 

Jon reached out to hold and caress one of her breasts and Daenerys responded by wiggling back towards him, until their two bodies were moulded together as one. He continued to press gentle kisses all over her neck and down to her collarbone and he marvelled at the light moans that she released with each touch. Eventually, his Queen rolled over to press her lips against his and Jon responded eagerly.

 

“Good morning husband,” she purred as she gently broke the kiss. Her purple eyes were full of love and affection when they looked at him.

 

“Good morning wife. How did you sleep?” he gently asked,

 

“I slept well though you tired me out last night,” she said as she smiled at the memory. Ever since he had returned to Kings Landing, his Queen had been eager for his body, she said that after experiencing what they had in the North, she was eager to experience life again. They had made love every night since his return and often during the mornings as well, on rare occasions she would cancel the meetings that he had during the day to resume their activities.

 

Jon gently kissed her as he rolled her onto her back. Daenerys reached down to slowly stroke his length before she guided him into her. Jon gasped as he sunk into her warm wet heat. The feel of her was so perfect and so enticing that Jon found himself grinning like a greenboy almost immediately.

 

He bent down to kiss one of her nipples as he set a slow languid pace. He felt her fingers comb through his hair. Then he trailed kisses from her chest all the way up her neck, gently nipping and biting her skin. She moaned into his ear before giving him an instruction,

 

“Faster,” she whispered as she ran her hands all over his body. Jon began to pick up the pace as his Queen continued to moan into his ear. He felt her walls begin to tighten around him as her own pleasure passed over her, he slowly down and watched as her eyes closed and she screamed out her pleasure for the whole world to hear. He rolled his hips gently, knowing the gentle tease would draw out her pleasure

 

It was around a minute until her lovely eyes fluttered open to look at him, and then he felt one of her legs wrap around him

 

“Cum in me, my King,” she whispered and Jon growled. He began to thrust again, each thrust going hard and deep until he stilled.

 

“Fuck!” he shouted as he buried himself deep inside of her, sure he could feel the end of her cunt. Her legs wrapped around him as he spilled inside of her, his lips found hers again and they kissed once more.

 

He reluctantly pulled out of her and rolled onto his back, he pulled her close towards him and she responded by resting herself on his body. The sun had risen completely and now the light was shining through the windows.

 

“We should have been up by now,” Jon said as he looked towards the window and Dany only hummed. “We have a busy day,”  


“Tyrion can wait. We had royal duties to attend to,” Dany said as her finger traced patterns on his chest.

 

“Aye,” he said softly

 

“We were securing the succession and the future of our house,” she reminded him and Jon chuckled lightly. Whist they did plan for more children, they had both agreed that now was not the time. Dany wanted to spend more time with Lyanna and Daeron, watching them grow, and it was not like they were in a rush. They were both still under the age of 25.

 

“Today is the day of the execution,” Jon said quietly as his face grew hard. He had been in a rage when he had found out about what had happened, and it was only Dany’s words that had calmed him down. She insisted that they handled this matter the right way, with an official trial where the people could see that they were just and lawful monarchs.

 

The trial had been over within a matter of moments due to overwhelming evidence and testimonies, not to mention the accused’s own confession and today was the day that the women would die.

 

“I know,” Dany said quietly. Then they heard a knock on the door. “Daeron,”

 

“How do you know who it is?” Jon asked as Dany rose to her feet. He watched her ass jiggle as she crossed over the room to find a robe to dress in. She quickly threw one to him that he put on.

 

“It’s a mother’s instinct,” she said with a smile as she opened the door for her son. Daeron walked into the room and Jon helped him up onto the bed whilst Dany headed off to pick up their daughter.

 

“Good morning son,” Jon said as he gently ruffled his hair. Daeron still carried his golden egg with him and he placed it on the bed to hug him.

 

“Morning papa,” he said as Dany returned with Lyanna. “Morning mama. Morning Lya,”  


“Good morning sweetling,” Dany purred as he kissed him on his forehead. She put Lyanna on the bed who smiled at everyone.

 

“Papa!” she shouted as she crawled over to him. Jon grabbed her and peppered her face with kisses before holding her against his chest. “Daron!” she shouted as she looked at her brother. She couldn’t quite say his name just yet but she was learning.

 

“Papa, Lya walking,” Daeron said and Jon raised an eyebrow in surprise. He looked at Dany who was hiding a blush.

 

“Really?” he asked as he turned his daughter around

 

“Not quite, but soon,” Dany said as she tickled Daeron who giggled. Jon then decided to see for himself. He gently stood Lyanna up and put her in the middle of the bed and held his arms out. Lyanna looked at him for a few moments before she wobbled and fell over. She even started to laugh as she bounced on the bed. However, despite this setback, Jon was not convinced. He then picked Lyanna up and got out of bed and onto the carpeted floor.  

 

Then he repeated the process, he stood her up and then moved a short distance away from her and waited. Lyanna looked at him with a puzzled look at her face before she slowly tottered towards him, giggling as she did so.

 

“Well done Lya!” Jon beamed as his daughter safely reached his arms. He heard clapping from Daeron and Dany who had both looked up to see her. Even Lyanna joined in the applause.

 

“She’s so young as well, not even a year old,” Dany said as she clapped for her. Jon gave his daughter a kiss as he held her up high in the air. Then he sat on the bed with his family, ready to face the day.

  
  


* * *

 

  


After baths and breakfast, it was off to the small council chamber for a meeting. Jon walked hand in hand with Daenerys whilst the children were taken off to play. Dany had banned the use of the nursery and so they had found somewhere else, a room that had been stripped bare as they searched for secret tunnels or passages.

 

Inside the small council chamber, they found everyone was already present. Tyrion, Ser Barristan and Arianne Martell were all seated in their chairs. Grandmaester Marwyn had gone on an expedition to chart the lands North of the Wall and so they had recieved another young maester from the Citadel who was present for this meeting. Ser Loras was with his sister as they sailed towards Kings Landing whilst the Hound and Brienne guarded the children.

  


Tyrion had only recently returned to Kings Landing after returning to the Westerlands to bury his brother. Jaime would be honoured for his sacrifice to save the city and they had let Tyrion choose the best way to do it. They had thought about naming the street after the Lions gate after him, but it had yet to be confirmed.

 

“Shall we begin,” Dany said softly as she took her seat. His Queen wore her hair in her signature braid. She also wore the long dark blue dress with her silver Targaryen chain tangling over one shoulder. Underneath she wore her black leather riding pants. Jon knew that outfit well; it was an outfit she wore to show her power.

 

“The damage to the city caused by the riots has largely been cleared up. Shopkeepers are opening their stores once again and people feel safe in the streets,” Tyrion began as he started to read from his list. “Thanks to the intervention and help provided by the Westerland army, we were able to limit the casualties to only a few hundred,”

 

Jon nodded slowly as he waited for Tyrion to move on to the next matter.

 

“Now, moving on to the more pressing topic at hand. In regards to the North and Winterfell. As per your instructions, your grace, we have sent men to evaluate the remains of the castle and so have the Iron Bank. Repairs will be expensive, so much so that it could be easier to start afresh,” Tyrion suggested.

 

“No, Winterfell will be rebuilt,” Jon said in a clear voice. He had spoken to Bran before he left, and Bran had told him the importance of Winterfell being on that spot with its hot springs and so on.

 

“Very well your grace, but the North is not the most financially prosperous Kingdom,” Tyrion began but Jon interrupted him.

 

“The Iron Throne will cover the costs,” Jon said as he saw Tyrion falter slightly.

 

“Your grace that may not be the wise course. That will eat up into nearly all of our gold reserves,”

 

“We will survive,” Dany said as she came to his support. “We have taxes from the cities in the East. Pentos and Volantis to name just a few. Not to mention we have some Valyrian steel items that we brought back from Valyria. We can sell that for excess Gold if we need it,”

 

Tyrion nodded before he continued on with his list.

 

“As you requested moons ago, an architect from Volantis has sailed to the Stormlands to visit the ruins of Summerhall. He has started to work to restore the castle,”

 

“Good,” Jon said quietly. Restoring Summerhall had been his father’s idea, and he was determined to see it completed.

 

“And now onto the biggest matter of all, Dorne,” Tyrion said as he rolled up the parchment. Jon cast a glance at Arianne who was doing her best to avoid Dany’s gaze.

 

“The plot to kidnap the royal children was a despicable one, and one that puts significant strain on relations between the Iron Throne and Dorne,” Tyrion said slowly as he glanced between the two women. “Thankfully, the plot was thwarted but it some form of punishment will be needed.”

 

Jon waited for Dany who continued to look at Arianne who finally returned her gaze.

 

“I have had a lot of time to think about this matter for the past few weeks and I have also used that time to reflect on our own relationship, Princess Arianne,” Dany began in a soft voice. “You claim to have had no involvement in this plot, and I believe you. I will not let the actions of three misguided individuals reflect poorly upon an entire kingdom,”

 

“Thank you your grace, for your forgiveness,” Arianne said immediately.

 

“I am also not unaware of the surrounding circumstances. You have been in Kings Landing for approaching two years now and you have not left the city since and that is what caused the anger to build in those women. Months ago, you asked for leave to return to Sunspear and start a family, and I will grant you that wish. You will return to Sunspear and rule Dorne in our name,”

 

Jon watched as her eyes filled with tears as she whispered her thanks.

 

“However,” Jon said in a clear voice that demanded the attention of the room. “This is your last chance. We will accompany you to Sunspear along with our three dragons. You will and all your vassal lords will swear fealty to us in a public ceremony. Any resistance that we find will be crushed,”

 

Arianne nodded as she understood his meaning. Their decision to allow her to return had been a difficult one but they felt it was the right choice. Executing her or keeping her in the capital would accomplish nothing in the long run, and she had proven her loyalty by saving Lyanna.

 

On top of that, Tyrion had also written to strong Dornish houses such as the Yronwoods and the Daynes who were sympathetic to House Targaryen.

 

“Good, now if that is all then we can end this meeting, we have an execution to attend to,” Tyrion said and everyone rose to their feet as the meeting was adjourned.

  
  


**The Queen of Westeros**

  


It was a warm but windy day in Kings Landing. The sky was blue with a few grey clouds and Dany could see ships out in the bay slowly coming into port.

 

They stood in the ruins of the Dragonpit, the only place in Kings Landing big enough to host this event. In the middle of the courtyard were the two women, one had already died from her wounds. They were bound and chained by their ankles and Dany was eager to get this over with.

 

Also there was Varys, the Spider had been arrested and dragged away from his Wildfire cache after the Hound’s intervention. It had been too late to save Jaime Lannister, but his actions had saved the city, and for that Dany would always be thankful.

 

The Spider refused to answer their questions when he was interrogated, he was seemingly intent on taking his secrets with him to the grave. Dany look at him now, his shoulders were slumped and he had been treated poorly in the dark cells but Dany didn’t care, he deserved what he got.

 

They had left the children at the castle under guard and so it was only Ser Barristan and Ser Lyn Corbray with them at this moment. The rest of the small council along with a large crowd had gathered to witness the event. News of the plot had spread through the city quickly and her citizens were quick to condemn this act. Daeron had not been seen much in public, but it warmed her heart to see that the people of the city cared so deeply about her children.

 

Up above the three dragons circled, Anogar was the lowest and she reached for her dragon in her mind and he released a loud roar as he fluttered lower towards the ground. Dany then stepped forward until she was only a few paces away from the women.

 

“Obara Sand, Tyene Sand and Varys, for your attempt to kidnap Prince Daeron, Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne and Princess Lyanna, Princess of Summerhall as well as your involvement in the conspiracy to destroy Kings Landing, you are sentenced to death,” the herald called and Dany heard cheers from the crowd on the verdict.

 

“Look at me,” she said in a clear voice and they both looked up at her. Their shoulders were slumped in defeat and they could only hold her gaze for a second before they looked at the floor once again. Then she looked at Varys, who refused to meet her gaze.

 

“Look at me,” she repeated and this time, Jon stepped forward. He drew his sword and used it to tilt the man’s chin up; Dany could see little ribbons of blood forming from his sharp blade.

 

“Open your eyes or we will cut them open,” Jon growled and after a moment, Varys complied. Unlike the two women, there was no remorse in his eyes, only defiance.

 

Then Dany stepped back until she reached the rest of the small council and then she closed her eyes. Anogar roared again as he landed on the far side of the ruined Dragonpit. He was so large that when he stretched his wings he put the entire pit in the shade.

 

Dany watched as he slowly edged closer and then she closed her eyes

 

“Dracarys,” she whispered and Anogar took care of the rest. Dany allowed their screams to fill her ears in the brief moment before they vanished. Then Anogar pulled his long neck back and took off into the sky, all that was left of the traitors were three piles of ash.

  
  


*****

  


After the execution, she rode back to the castle on the back of her silver mare. Jon rode beside her and together they waved to the crowd who had lined the streets. They had not released an official statement on the events of the North. Instead, they had spoken with the Citadel. They opted to send ravens to all of the Lords in their keeps who would then relay the message to their people, and then in a few months, they would speak again to confirm the story. She was not sure if it was the best plan, but she felt as if the people of Westeros deserved to know the truth.

 

They arrived safely within the walls of the Red Keep and Dany stopped in surprise when she saw a series of carriages in front of her. She slowly disembarked and then she smiled when she saw who it was,

 

“Margaery,” she said as she gave her friend a gentle hug. The situation in the North was not good, and space was at a premium. They had already elected to use the abandoned Dreadfort as well as White Harbour and Karhold to house the displaced people but space was still at a premium. Even Dragonstone had been opened up to refugees.

 

As a result of this, Robb had agreed for him and Margaery to spend some time in Kings Landing. Robb would only stay a few weeks and Margaery a few months whilst the twins grew. Then once Winterfell was restored to a level suitable enough for the Lady of Winterfell, Margaery and the children would return.

 

“It is good to see you again,” Margaery said. Dany smiled at her friend, she was starting to look herself again after the pregnancy.

 

“How are the twins?”

  
“Busy. Hungry and busy,” Margaery said with a smile. Then she turned to Robb and gave him a friendly hug.

 

“Let’s get you all inside,” Dany said softly as she led them up the steps and into the castle with Jon in the rear. The first place that she took them was towards their new nursery, where Sansa and Arya would be. Sansa squealed in happiness as she ran to congratulate both her good sister and brother as well as take a first look at the twins.

 

“They are so beautiful,” Sansa gushed as she held onto Cregan. Dany smiled until she felt a tugging by her legs. She looked down at Lyanna who was holding her arms out for her. Dany smiled and picked up Lyanna and then brought her over to Margaery.

 

“Lya, this is your Aunty Margaery,” she said softly. Margaery gave her a little wave and after a moment, Lyanna gave her a shy one in return.

 

“She’s lovely. She reminds me so much of Daeron when he was a baby,” Margaery gushed and Lyanna giggled a little. “Lyanna, this is Elena, she is your cousin,”

 

Dany watched as Lyanna peered at the baby who was also looking back at her. Purple eyes stared into grey and suddenly Lyanna smiled.

 

“Mama!” Lya shouted as she pointed at the baby.

 

“Yes, Lya, I can see her too, she’s a pretty baby, just like you,” Dany said and Lya start to nod her head eagerly and Dany smiled as a friendship was formed.

 

“Auntie Maggy!” Daeron shouted as he ran over to her. Dany watched as her eldest hugged Margaery’s leg before he looked up at them both.

 

“Auntie Maggy have baby?” he asked and Dany nodded.

 

“A boy and a girl. You have cousins now, little one,” she said softly and Daeron gave her a curious look, he didn’t understand the word. However, he was soon scooped up by Robb who began to tickle him and Daeron burst out in a fit of laughter.

 

“Take a seat Margaery,” Dany said as she gestured towards the window. Food was brought for them and they all sat in the nursery and told games as they watched the children play. It may not have been under the best circumstances, but Dany loved spending time with her family.  

  
  


* * *

 

  


**5 Years Later**

  
  


**The Queen of Westeros**

  


It was another warm spring day in Kings Landing and Daenerys Targaryen was in her study, working through the pile of papers on her desk. Spring was always a good period for Westeros, trade always increased and the people were happier as there was more food to go around.

 

The papers on her desk were mostly updates from Tyrion. He was currently away in the Westerlands, overseeing the opening of a new mine that had been discovered. The new mine would help the region regain some of the prosperity that it had enjoyed under Tywin Lannister.

 

She had also received a raven from Arianne Martell, who was celebrating the birth of her second child, her first son. Dany had sent a letter of congratulations along with a customary gift.

 

Then she read a report from the Stormlands, the restoration of Summerhall were going according to plan, and if the weather continued to be kind, then they believed they could have the castle ready within two years, Jon would be so happy.

 

Her husband had been away in Essos for the last month, the people of Volantis were holding elections along with a special celebration and Jon had gone alone to attend. Dany would have accompanied him but she was several months pregnant and she was not comfortable riding Anogar for such a long distance. She gently rubbed her stomach as she looked out over the window, hoping for a glimpse of Vedros.

 

The blue waters of the Blackwater bay looked beautiful and Dany felt the urge to take her children out for another picnic in the hills overlooking the water, it was one of her favourite activities. However, she knew that Daeron had his lessons and Lyanna was starting to have hers as well and she did not want to interrupt their education.

 

Their plan for the building of schools throughout Westeros had started to bear fruit. In Kings Landing there was one school with plans for a second just outside of the city on the road towards Rosby and Duskendale. She also knew that there was a school for the children in Oldtown as well as one at the rebuilt Winterfell in the North.

 

The repairs to Winterfell were still ongoing. The castle was habitable now and Robb and Margaery had long since returned with their children. Just earlier this year they welcomed their third child, another girl. Dany had yet to meet her as she had not been back to Winterfell since she had become pregnant.

 

Over the years, the people of Westeros had learned the story of the White Walkers and whilst she knew that the story had probably been embellished in places, she knew that the truth was out there. She also missed her brother, Daeron had learned to stop asking for his grandfather and she had realised that he had worked the truth out for himself. Still, she knew that Rhaegar would have been proud of what she and Jon had achieved in these 5 years.

 

Dany was interrupted from her thoughts by a series of quick knocks on her door and her mouth curled into a smile

 

“Come in,” she called and as she expected, both of her children burst into the room.

 

“Mama!” Lyanna called as she ran into the room. Her little girl was five years old. Her long black hair was tied up in a purple ribbon to keep it out of her eyes. Daeron followed his little sister. He was now 8 years old and Dany could already tell he would grow to be a tall man. His silver hair was straight and Dany smiled at her handsome boy.

 

“We brought you flowers,” Daeron said with a smile as he showed them to her.

 

“Thank you so much, sweetlings,” Dany said as she kissed them both on their foreheads. Following them into the room was Ghost, their ever silent guardian.

 

“I brought you purple orchids,” Daeron said as he offered her the flowers. Dany took a sniff before smiling and giving him a hug.

 

“I bring mama, yellow lilly,” Lyanna said as she showed her flowers. Dany took them from her daughter and put them with Daeron’s.

 

“Thank you so much. Let me find a vase and some water to put them in so I can have them in my study,” Dany said as she slowly rose to her feet but to her surprise. Daeron had already shot off.

 

“Here you go, mama,” he said as he returned with the vase. “Papa said we have to help you with the baby,”

  
“Yes papa said help,” Lyanna repeated as she nodded her pretty little head and Dany bit her lip with a smile.

 

“Thank you so much little ones,” she said softly as she took a seat

 

“But Mama, I’m 8 now, I’m not little,” Daeron protested and Dany chuckled before pulling him in for a hug.

 

“You will always be my little baby,” she said softly as she kissed him. “How were your lessons today?”

 

“Good,” Daeron replied and then he frowned a little before saying, “Mama, can Missandei teach me?”

 

“Missy does teach you, she teaches languages remember?” Dany reminded him.

 

“I know, but can she teach me numbers? I like Missandei,” Daeron asked,

 

“Daeron, you have to learn from the other maesters as well, they are all trying to help you sweetling,” Dany said kindly and Daeron nodded after a moment.

 

“Mama, can I feel baby?” Lya asked hopefully and Dany nodded

 

“Yes you can, but don’t poke too hard,” she reminded her as Lyanna stepped forward. Her daughter put her small hand on her round stomach and slowly moved it around.

 

“What she doing?” Lya asked and Dany shook her head

 

“Nothing now, maybe she’s sleeping?” Dany suggested as Lyanna slowly moved her hand. Then she put her head to her stomach, as if she was trying to hear.

 

“Mama, when baby coming?” Lyanna asked and Dany sighed. According to the Maesters, the baby should have been due a week or so ago. However, their littlest one clearly did not want to come out.

 

“I don’t know Lya dear, perhaps she’s waiting for papa to return,” Dany suggested and this time Lyanna nodded.

 

“I miss Papa,” Daeron said as he began to look out of the window.

 

“So do I,” Dany said quietly. “How about this, if you two can count to 10, then we can go and get our dinner,”

 

At this both of her children broke into smiles. She knew that Daeron could count this high, but she was curious to see Lyanna’s progress.

 

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!” they shouted as they clapped their hands together. Dany was particularly impressed with Lyanna; she had managed to do it with only one small mistake. She was about to give them another hug in congratulations when they heard a loud roar from outside

 

“PAPA!” they both yelled as they ran to the window. They both jostled for position as they looked outside until they could both see Jon’s dragon lazily making its way back towards home.

 

“Papa is here!” Daeron said eagerly as he ran out of the room with Lyanna hot on his heels. Dany shook her head at the pair of them before she slowly rose to her feet.

 

“Go on Ghost, make sure they don’t get into trouble,” she said to the Direwolf who quickly trotted off after them. Once she was outside, she was met by Brienne who slowly escorted her to the main courtyard. The dragons had continued to grow and this meant that any sort of landing in the Red Keep was now impossible, so Jon would land in the Dragonpit before riding here.

 

“You must be excited to see the King again,” Brienne said as they made their way through the castle

 

“It has been a long month without him. He owes me a lot of back rubs and foot massages to make up for lost time,” Dany said in a light tone and Brienne cracked a smile.

 

“I saw the children run off,”

 

“I know, but they won’t get very far. Daeron knows he can’t ride outside the castle without my permission and Lyanna will copy him,”

 

“This is true. Although, I did have the pleasure of watching her on a small pony the other day. That girl is a natural rider if I’ve ever seen one,” Brienne commented and Dany nodded in agreement. Arya had returned to the Red Keep like a good aunty, she had involved the children in many activities that wore them out of energy. One of those activities was horse riding, apparently her daughter had taken to it like a duck to water.

 

Lyanna was never in any real danger as the pony being led by a lead line, but it was impressive nonetheless for a girl of that age.

 

“I’m happy for her, perhaps she will grow to be just like her namesake,” Dany commented as they continued their slow pace through the castle. She could hear the laughter of her children from up ahead and that relieved her a little.

 

“Tell me, how are things with the guard?” Dany asked. The Kings Guard was at seven once again, but she was concerned about Ser Barristan. The experienced knight was not getting any younger and whilst she did not wish for him to leave the order as he was a wise man and a good friend, she had to acknowledge that they had to acknowledge that his skills would begin to decline

 

“Things are going well. Ser Barristan is going through the latest batch of recruits, looking to see if they hold any promise,”

 

“Do they?” Dany asked

 

“Perhaps, but he has very high standards,”

 

“It’s for the best I suppose,” Dany acknowledged. “How is Daeron’s training going?”

 

“Prince Daeron is good with a sword, he has not progressed to live steel, but Ser Barristan is working hard to ensure that his fundamentals and his technique is good,”

 

Dany nodded as they continued onwards. Ordinarily, Daeron would train with Loras, but as Loras had accompanied Ser Jorah and Jon, Barristan took over his training.

 

“Has Lya tried to join?” Dany asked with a wry smile. Her daughter was determined to try everything her brother did.

 

“Not as of yet,” Brienne said. “She seems to be focused more on her little pony,”

 

Dany smiled as they got to the main entrance that led to the courtyard, one day after she gave birth to this little one, she would spend more time riding with her daughter.

 

She found both of her children waiting by the main gate with Ghost just behind them. The Hound and Ser Lyn were also watching over them.

 

“Come on mama,” Lyanna said excitedly

 

“Slow down little girl,” Dany said gently. “I don’t want to walk too quickly because of the baby,”

 

Her purple eyes widened and she quickly mumbled and apology. Then Dany held onto her arm and led them out into the courtyard. She saw several of the stable hands running around preparing for the arrival of the King. Up above on the ramparts, guards stood out on duty whilst the Targaryen banner fluttered proudly in the wind.

 

“Where papa?” Lyanna asked and Dany could feel her bristling with excitement.

 

“He will be here soon, he has to ride here from the Dragonpit,” Dany told her

 

“Dragonpit. Can we see Dragons?” she asked

 

“Not today, maybe Papa will take you tomorrow after your lessons,” she offered and Lyanna smiled eagerly. Then with her other hand she reached for Daeron and gently brushed his hair likes he always used to when he was a baby.

 

The rest of the Kingsguard got into position and after a few minutes, the gate swung open and the royal procession entered. She saw Ser Loras in the lead, with his white armour gleaming magnificently in the light and then she saw her husband just behind him, riding in on a black war horse.

 

His Valyrian steel armour as wondrous as ever. Sometimes the material looked as black as midnight, others a dark blood red. The rubies, emeralds and sapphires that made up the dragons in the centerpiece shone magnificently in the light. His black hair was tied up in a bun and he looked as comely as he had when she first met him. She saw his face stretch into a smile as he saw them

 

“Papa!” Lyanna yelled as she let go of her hand ran towards him. Jon quickly dismounted before scooping up his little girl and giving her a hug. Dany slowly walked towards him and whilst she did that, Jon gave Daeron his hug

 

“And there is my Queen,” he said softly as he gave her a gentle hug and a kiss on the lips. Dany smiled into the kiss and she felt his gloved hand on her stomach. “And where is our littlest one?”

 

“She is waiting for you,” Dany told him as he began to lead them back towards the castle. Even though she was five years old now, Jon still carried Lyanna in his arms like she was a baby.

 

“So, it’s a girl?” Jon asked and Dany nodded.

 

“She is, and she’s excited to see you,” Dany added as she felt the baby kick and stir in her stomach. “Hopefully she’ll come out now and give Mama a break,”

 

Jon chuckled as he gave her another kiss. “What have I missed, what have you all been up to,”

 

Dany opened her mouth but before she could speak, both Daeron and Lyanna spoke up first, filling him in with tales of their adventures over the past month. Dany just smiled and listened, happy that her husband was home again.

  
  


**The Prince of Dragonstone - 5 Years Later**

  
  


Daeron Targaryen raced through the woods, he had elected to take a shortcut to try and beat his opponent. His horse, that he had named _silverwind_ was hurtling quickly through the trees. He could see the finish line up ahead; they had chosen a hill with a windmill on top of it, not too far from the Kings Road.

 

Daeron broke through the treeline and onto the open grass, he used his legs to urge his horse forward but then he saw his opponent to his right. Her long black hair was billowing behind her as she galloped towards the finish line. Daeron cursed as her horse edged further and further ahead until they ascended the hill

 

“I win!” Lyanna shouted victoriously as she wheeled around in celebration. Daeron shook his head at his little sister.

 

“No fair, you had a head start,” he protested and she rolled her eyes at him,

 

“Did not,” she said as she crossed her arms across her chest. Daeron looked at her and then smiled at her and eventually Lyanna joined in.

 

“Nice job, little sister,” he said. “Although, I did let you win,”

 

“No,  you didn’t,” she said as she punched him lightly in the arm. “You couldn’t beat me if you tried,”

 

Daeron fell quiet as they looked around the countryside. Even at the age of 11, it was clear that Lyanna was an extremely gifted rider. She could outpace everyone in the household and only the Dothraki could beat her.

 

“The North is so much different to the South,” Lyanna said as they looked around.

 

“Yes, there are less people here, that’s why,” Daeron told her, “Especially after the Great War,”

 

Daeron and Lyanna had learned all about the Great War and his parents’ story. He learned about their meeting in Pentos, their voyage into Valyria all the way until their victory over the White Walkers.

 

“Still, we should get back. The Kings Guard won’t be happy, Ser Barristan in particular,” Daeron said as he gently nudged his horse forward. Up above, the legendary dragons, Anogar, Vedros and Caraxes wheeled in the sky. After his 10th nameday, he had finally been allowed to ride Anogar with his mother; it was an experience that he would never forget.

 

“Want another race?” Lyanna asked and Daeron glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was barely holding back a smirk.

 

“Go!” he shouted as he pushed his horse into a gallop. He heard Lyanna’s musical laugh behind him as they raced back to the royal procession.

 

Lyanna won the race, again and Daeron fell silent as they rode towards the wheelhouse. He knew that there mother would be inside along with their youngest siblings who were too young to ride.

 

To his surprise, she was not there; instead, they found their family on a hill, overlooking Winterfell. He saw that the twins were already dressed and they were running around playing with Ghost. Meanwhile, Mother held onto Jae whilst she spoke with Father and Missandei.

 

“Where have you two been?” mother demanded of them and Daeron looked to Lyanna who quickly looked back at him

 

“We went for a race,” he replied honestly and his mother shook her head.

 

“Go and get ready, we are nearly at Winterfell and I want you to put on your best clothes,” she said softly and Daeron nodded.

 

“Who won?” Father asked and Lyanna smiled before raising her hand. Her father laughed not unkindly before speaking again. “I should have known, our girl is part horse,” he joked and even mother smiled.

 

“Go, the pair of you, everyone else is ready,” she insisted and Daeron nodded. He gave the horse to a stableboy and then he quickly hurried to their wheelhouse. Inside, Missandei was already waiting to help Lyanna get dressed whilst Daeron did his best on his own.

 

He dressed in the royal colours of his house, a red and black doublet with a gold trim with black leather riding pants. The sigil of House Targaryen embroidered upon his left side, whilst the direwolf of House Stark was on the right. His parents had always stressed the importance of his dual heritage and the powers and responsibilities that came with it.

 

Daeron was only 13, but he liked to read. In his readings, he had learned all about warging and Dragon riding and he knew that he had that power in his blood, just like his father and mother. He was not sure about his siblings; Lya shared a special bond with her wolf, who she named _Midnight_ on account of her black fur. Whilst the twins, Alysanne and Aemon, were only 5 and their wolves were still only pups.

 

Not only did he have a direwolf, he also had a small dragon, he had named her Aeksion, which meant Gold in high Valyrian. He shook his head at he smiled at the memory, his dragon had hatched on his 10th nameday and at that age, he only knew a little Valyrian. The first thing that he saw was her golden scales and body and Gold was the first thing he thought of, and as a result, the name stuck.

 

He knew that she was somewhere outside, he was able to sense her; much like his parents could sense their dragons. Lyanna also had a dragon. Like him, her dragon had hatched on her 10th nameday, her dragon was a pale evergreen blue and she had named him Vhagar, after the dragon rode by the great Queen Visenya Targaryen during the conquest.

 

“Come on sister,” Daeron said as she finally entered the room. She wore black riding leathers underneath a blue dress. Unlike mother, she did not have her hair in a braid; she preferred to have it straight. Together, they left the wheelhouse and returned outside. Both of their wolves were waiting for them at the bottom of the steps to the wheelhouse and Daeron patted his wolf, Suvion, gently on the head before mounting his horse and heading back towards their parents.

 

They were still waiting in the same spot and Daeron saw two more horses. More correctly, two small ponies which were already saddled.

 

“Will Alysanne and Aemon be riding?” Daeron asked and mother nodded.

 

“Yes, we will all ride into Winterfell as a family,” she told him. Alysanne was the older twin, a girl who possessed mother’s silver hair and purple eyes. Aemon was a boy, with father’s hair, but mother’s eyes. Finally there was the youngest, a boy of two with silver hair and grey eyes just like him. They had named him Jaehaerys and he completed their family of seven.

 

“But Jae is only a toddler and Alys and Aem are only 5,” Lyanna pointed out and mother smiled. At the sound of his name, the little boy turned towards them and he began to point and smile, he was such a happy little boy and his smile was contagious. 

 

“I can carry Jae with me and Alys and Aemon will be fine, it’s only a short ride and Missy and Irri will be with them,” she said and then she raised an eyebrow. “Don’t be surprised young lady, I carried both of you on horseback when you were the same size as little Jae,”

 

Father chuckled and then he got into position and raised his arm and soon the royal procession formed. The herald and flag bearers would lead the way, with Ser Barristan, Ser Loras and Ser Jorah just behind. Then would come the royal family, with Father and Mother side by side and with the children in behind. Then bringing up the rear would be Brienne and the Hound.

 

Of all the KingsGuard, Loras was the one he spent the most time with, Loras was primarily responsible for his training and Daeron got along well with him. Loras waved at him and Lyanna before taking his position. The Lord Hand, Tyrion Lannister would remain in Kings Landing with the remaining two members of the Kingsguard.

 

Daeron remembered being amazed when he saw the Kings Guard in their armour, he thought that the white capes and intricately designed patterns looked amazing and when he was younger, he had asked his mother for one just like them.

 

However, she had told him know before reminding him that he was the Crown Prince, and one day he would be King. This meant that he would have his own armour designed to fit him perfectly. It was something that he had not truly understood at that age and it was something that he was only coming to terms with now.

 

“Come on, Daeron,” Lyanna said as she poked him. The procession had started to move as they rode down the hill towards Winterfell. Overhead, the dragons roared and screeched, announcing their arrival. He could even see Vhagar and Aeksion flying along below them.  Daeron knew that at night, the dragons would take to the sky again, releasing their fire into the air, it was a spectacle that he loved to see.

 

Mother had said that the dragons would not be chained up, but it was up to the children to train them. Daeron thought he had done a good job with Aeksion, but Lyanna still struggled with Vhagar at times.

 

However, today, her dragon was content to be flying in the countryside. His dragon was big, with a wingspan of perhaps 25 or so feet, but he had never ridden her. He had wanted to, but mother said that she was too small and there was no rush. He closed his eyes as he rode and then he reached for her, when he opened them, she had swooped lower and she released a short blast of orange flame.

 

“Daeron,” his mother said in a warning tone as she turned around to look at him and he gave a sheepish smile. Father said that as the dragons grew, their flames would all change colours and Daeron couldn’t help but be excited.

 

They passed through the rebuilt Wintertown as they neared the castle. Up ahead he could see the rebuilt Winterfell, the Stark banner fluttering just below the royal standard. Daeron had been to Winterfell a few times to see his cousins and he had always been impressed with the castle.

 

They passed through the main gate and Daeron opened up his eyes to see it in all of its wonder.

 

Father had told him that it had been rebuilt on nearly the exact same site as before. It was not as fearsome or intimidating as Dragonstone which had been constructed with Valyrian magic, nor was it as beautiful as Summerhall yet he still found the castle to be one of his favourites.

 

He saw the glass houses that housed all manner of different plants as well as the main castle itself. He looked around at the rest of the castle, the walls were tall and strong and reinforced at the base. He saw Stark guards on duty at the top of the walls.

 

“Please bow before the royal family of Westeros!. King Aegon of Houses Stark and Targaryen. Queen Daenerys of house Targaryen and their children. Crown Prince Daeron, the Prince of Dragonstone. Princess Lyanna, Princess Alysanne, Prince Aemon and Prince Jaehaerys!” the herald called and everyone in the courtyard of Winterfell fell to their knees as a sign of respect.

 

Daeron watched as father dismounted and helped mother of the horse before he motioned that they all do the same. As his feet hit the ground, he saw the wolves run off to hunt in the Wolfswood whilst Vhagar and Aeksion perched ontop of one of the towers so they could look down on them.

 

“All rise!” father shouted and then everyone rose to their feet. Then it was time for the greetings.

 

“Uncle Robb,” Daeron said with a smile as he shook his Uncles hand. Like father, he could see a few stray grey hairs on his uncle's head but his blue eyes still looked as lively as ever.

  
“It is good to see you,” he said and then Daeron moved on to the right

 

“Aunty Margaery,” he said as he was given a quick hug by his aunt. He had been told that Margaery Stark was among the most beautiful women in the world, second only to his mother and Daeron believed that to be true.

  
“Look how comely you are,” she gushed as she beamed at him. “And you are so tall,” she added and Daeron smiled. He was taller than mother now and soon he would be taller than father.

 

“You look wonderful,” Daeron said politely and Margaery gave him another charming smile and then he moved on. Next was Lady Elena, who was almost a spitting image of her mother. Long brown hair but with the grey stark eyes. He had heard that Elena was the rose of the North, a title they had once belonged to his Aunt Sansa, and his grandmother, Lyanna.

 

“My Lady,” Daeron said as he blushed slightly before giving his cousin a hug.

 

“It is nice to see you too,” she whispered as she returned his hug. Then it was onto Cregan. Cregan was two years younger than him but he was already broader than him in the shoulders.

 

Daeron offered him his hand and he quickly shook it.

 

“Nice to see you, cousin,” Daeron said with a smile.

 

“Good to see you too, we are going to have so much fun. We can spar, fish or hunt,” Cregan whispered and Daeron smiled in anticipation. Whenever he came to Winterfell they always got into mischief together.

 

Next up was Serena Stark, a young girl of age with Alysanne and Aemon. She was only five with brown hair and eyes like her mother. She smiled at him and gave him a cute little courtesy before running off to her big sister. Daeron knew that Aunty Margaery had recently given birth to a baby boy, but it appeared that he was not here, likely he was asleep somewhere.

 

“Now, if that is all, let us head inside, I am sure that you are tired from your travels!” Robb called out and then he led them off towards the main castle. They were here to commemorate 10 years from the end of the Great War and so there would be feasts and celebrations all throughout these next few days.

 

Daeron smiled as Lyanna and Elena fell into step beside him.

 

“Isn’t it true that I can beat you in a riding race?” Lyanna asked and Daeron rolled his eyes at his sister before making his way inside. He had heard that the main hall had been redesigned with more hearths to keep the room warmer in the summer along with new stained glass windows to add more colour to the room. The walls were made up of a lighter grey stone than the floor and a series of chandeliers hung from the ceiling to provide light

  


They were led off to an antechamber where they would wait before making their entrance and officially starting the feast. Mother handed over a sleeping Jae to Irri before moving to take Uncle Robb’s arm. Father took Margaery’s and Daeron quickly realised he was meant to take Elenas.

 

“Lady Elena,” he said as he offered his arm which she graciously accepted.

 

“Prince Daeron,” she said politely as they all moved into position behind the next set of oak doors. “Can she really beat you in a race?” Elena whispered. Daeron took a glance behind him to look at Lyanna but thankfully she was already talking to Cregan. Then he looked at Elena and gave a small almost imperceptible nod and smiled when she fought to hold back a giggle

 

“It’s alright, my Prince, I won’t tell anyone,” she whispered and Daeron smiled in gratitude. “Can you play the harp?” she asked and Daeron nodded

 

“Only a little, I just started lessons a few months ago,” Daeron told her

 

“Please play me a song,” Elena asked as she gripped his arm.

 

“Maybe later, but only in secret, I’m not very good,” he said nervously. Elena gave him a wide smile. The doors to the main hall entered and music started to play as they made their way inside.

 

They entered the hall together and then they were sat at their tables. Father and Mother along with Uncle Robb and Aunty Margaery sat at the high table together. Whilst Daeron, Lyanna, Elena and Cregan all shared a table to one side.

 

“Wine!” Cregan shouted as he spotted a servant bringing a bottle and then pouring it out for them. “Smells like summer wine,”

 

“How do you know that?” Elena asked and Cregan blushed. Lyanna giggled and Daeron smiled at him.

 

“Before we begin, I’d like us all to raise our glasses,” father said as he rose to his feet. “This is the 10th year commemoration of the Great War, and I’d just like to say a few words before we begin,”

 

“I would just like to say thanks to those who gave their lives so we could be here today.To our brother Rickon, who died on this day 10 years ago when the White Walkers came. To my father Prince Rhaegar who sacrificed himself in the lands far North of the Wall to rescue Bran Stark.To those watchers on the Wall who perished when the Wall fell. To the freefolk who had died on that day at Hardhome. To those who died in the fields in the North, to those who died far from their homes, We are thankful for your sacrifice and we will remember you all, from this day, to the end of our days,” Father said in a clear voice and Daeron noticed that everyone in the hall had raised their glasses.

 

“We will remember,” Father said as he held his glass high. Daeron quickly copied him and so did everyone else

 

“We will remember,” the hall said in unison. Everyone drank in unison including Daeron. As he drank, he did his best to remember his grandfather. He had only been little when he had gone and so he did not remember much. He only remembered the stories mother and father used to tell him.

 

However, he did remember one thing, and that was his grandfather playing the harp. That had been his inspiration to pick up the instrument and he hoped he would do it justice.

  
  
  
  
  


**The King of Westeros**

 

The morning after the feast was another beautiful day. The birds were singing and the sky was blue, they were in the midst of another summer and it made the celebration event much better.

 

He had begun the day like he usually did, by making passionate love to his wife and his Queen. He turned back to look at her, the sheets were strewn half across her body and her back glistened with sweat from their efforts. After Jae they had agreed that five children was enough and he did not want to put her through the pains of childbirth again. It had been a miracle that she was even able to have Jaehaerys. Birthing the twins had been difficult and the maesters feared that another birth would seriously harm her.

 

However, his Queen was strong and fierce, she was the woman who had stepped into the flames and brought dragons back into the world, and so she had given birth to Jaehaerys, their youngest one.

 

He dressed in a tunic and strapped his sword to his waist before slowly leaving their rooms at the top of the guest house. Daeron and Lyanna slept with their wolves and so they did not need to be guarded. However he did poke his head in to check on the twins, who were fast asleep. Ghost often watched over their youngest, taking turns between the twins and Jae, however when he saw him, his wolf perked up and then slipped out of the door with him

 

“All right then old friend, let’s go,” Jon said as he rustled his fur. Very little of the old Winterfell that he knew had remained and so he had to learn this castle all over again. He noticed that all of the door handles had Stark direwolves carved into them and several of the torch holders were shaped as the mouth of a Direwolf.

 

As a whole, he found that he liked the new Winterfell, he knew that it would never be able to be as magical and special as the old, but Robb and Margaery had built a nice place here. He entered the courtyard and he spotted Robb leaving the main castle where he and his family stayed.

 

“Morning brother,” he said as he fell into stride with him.

 

“How come you’re up so early?” Robb asked

  
“Dany woke me up,” Jon said as they walked together.

 

“Aye, I know how it is Margaery does the same,” Robb said and they both laughed at their implied meaning. Soon enough, they came to the door of the crypts, which remarkably was one of the only parts of the original Winterfell that still remained standing.  Robb opened the door, took a torch and they both headed inside

 

“We should have done this last night,” Jon said

 

“Aye, but everyone was enjoying themselves. It wouldn’t have been right to leave and do this,” Robb said and Jon nodded in agreement. The damage that the Night King had caused was further along and deeper into the crypts; they had stopped near the front in front of two statues.

 

Ned Stark and Lyanna Stark

 

“Mother,” Jon said quietly as he looked up at the statue.

 

“Father,” Robb said as he looked at Ned

 

They both fell silent as they paid their respects. Jon thought of his mother and all that he had accomplished. He hoped that she would be proud of him and what he had done; the world was a better place now.

 

He still dreamt of her on occasion, and even more rarely, he dreamt of both his mother and his father. They had both seemed happy together and perhaps that was enough.

 

To the left, there were further statues, one of Catelyn Stark, who had died protecting Margaery and her babies. Jon may not have loved the woman like Robb did, but he did respect her for giving her life to save Margaery’s. He looked at her statue briefly, before moving past.

 

Then there was Rickon’s. Rickon had also died that day. Robb said that he had not noticed him in his haste to find Margaery. It was only when they removed the bodies that he knew. Rickon and his direwolf, Shaggy dog, had been fighting to hold off the White Walkers and their wights. Little Rickon was a boy barely 10 years of age at the time of his death. Jon shook his head sadly as he mourned another unfair death.

 

He felt a nudge in his arm and noticed that Robb had brought a flask and gestured for him to take a drink and so he did.

 

“To our mothers and fathers, they are no longer with us, but they have helped shape us to be who we are today,” Jon said as he raised his cup.

 

“To our parents,” Robb said and they both drank. It was a tradition that he and Robb shared and they followed it with a moment of silence.

 

Once they were finished, they both left the crypt to re-enter the world above.

 

“Did you see Bran?” Robb asked and Jon nodded. After using his powers to help rebuild Winterfell, Bran had asked to move South to the Godseye, he said that this is where the remaining Children of the Forest were and this was where he would live out his days. Jon would occasionally stop by to see him, and he had done so on the journey North.

  
“He is well, or as well as someone like him can be,” Jon said after a moment. “I also heard from Arya before we left Kings Landing. She said that she and Gendry were somewhere in Braavos. She said something about the House of Black and White or something along those lines,”

 

“She always wanted to go and explore,” Robb mentioned. “Sansa is doing well. She must love the challenge of organising this celebration in Highgarden,”

 

“Undoubtedly,” Jon said as he smiled

 

“Robb, I was thinking. Perhaps Daeron could stay here for a while as a fostering,” Jon said as he glanced at him.

 

“Are you telling me or asking?” Robb asked with a smile

 

“Asking?”

 

“Then I’ll have to talk to Margaery, but I’m sure we would love to have him. Why though?”

 

“He will be King one day, and that means he’ll be King over all of Westeros, not just the Red Keep. I want him to go out and see more of the land so he can learn to appreciate its entire people and understand that they have different ways of life,”

 

“That sounds smart and I’m sure the children would love to have him around,” Robb said as he nodded. “What about Dany? Have you asked her?”

 

“Not yet, but I’ll talk to her about it. It’ll only be for a year, perhaps a bit less, but I think he needs this experience. He’ll have Loras with him also and Loras looks out for him like an older brother,” Jon said after a moment and Robb nodded

 

“Sounds good. You really have thought this out haven’t you,”

 

“Aye,” Jon said sadly. It had mostly been Tyrion’s ideas. He was a good Hand, and he always strived to do what was best for Westeros and the royal family. “He’s also 13, and the more and more Lords will be offering their daughters,”

 

“Have they already started?” Robb asked as his lips stretched upwards into a smile

 

“Oh yes. They started when he was 10 years old believe it or not. A rich merchant from Pentos offered his daughter. Dany ripped the paper up and burned it,” Jon said as he chuckled at the memory and Robb also joined in

 

“Perhaps, I should submit a formal offer, I wouldn’t want my request to be buried at the bottom of the pile,” he japed and Jon smiled. Elena would be a good match, and Dany would certainly trust that Margaery raised her daughter properly.

 

“Perhaps but they’re still only children,” Jon said lightly as he watched the castle come to life as more and more people woke up

 

“Aye I agree. I take it that you’ll be off soon?” Robb asked and Jon nodded.

 

“Aye, Dany and I will take Daeron and Lya, the rest will stay here,” Jon said and Robb nodded.

  
“More children. I’ll keep them busy for you. Will you be gone all day?”

 

“We’ll probably be back by mid afternoon,” Jon said and Robb nodded. Then they both broke off. Jon went back inside to wake up his family for the day ahead.

  
  


* * *

 

After breakfast, Jon, Dany and their eldest two were on the backs of their dragons as they flew North. Jon rode with Lyanna behind him whilst Dany did the same with Daeron. Their dragons had also accompanied them but the direwolves remained behind, preferring to hunt and play.

 

They flew over the green countryside and up over the Wall. Large sections of the Wall remained destroyed and no one would put it back together. Jon was happy about this, he believed that all people were the same and they should not live separate and in hatred of one another. Unofficially, the Lands North of the Wall was considered as an additional Kingdom.

 

He still met with Mance who remained the leader of the freefolk. Mance agreed to control his people and have them respect the ways of the Southern Kingdoms to allow this open relationship to continue.

 

They passed further and further North over more green lands. Jon knew that once, all this had been covered under a thick blanket of snow, but without the White Walkers power, the normal seasons had returned. The weather had started to grow colder and soon Vedros started to descend.

 

He spotted their destination just past the banks of a large open lake. The largest Heart tree in Westeros stood tall, its blood red leaves fluttering proudly in the wind. Vedros landed gently as did Anogar whilst the remaining dragons circled above, providing a guard of honour.

 

He helped Lyanna climb off before they all slowly made their way up the bank and towards the tree.

 

“This is it,” Jon told his daughter. “This is where your grandfather died,”

 

“It looks beautiful,” Lyanna said after a moment and Jon nodded in agreement.

 

The heart tree was on the bank of a river, surrounded by a field of blue winter roses that stretched as far as their eyes could see. There were purples, light blues and dark blues all mixing together to create a beautiful meadow of colour.

 

“Do you have the wreath?” Jon asked and she nodded and he gently nudged her forward. Both Daeron and Lyanna walked forward and laid a wreath of flowers on the trunk of the tree, in remembrance of him. Whilst they did that, the dragons starting to screech, almost if they were singing a sad song.

 

Jon felt a tear form in his eye and he quickly wiped it away. Daenerys noticed and she quickly came over to him and grabbed his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze.

 

“Sometimes, I like to think that Rhaegar is up there with the stars, looking down at us all,” Dany said quietly and Jon smiled.

 

“Aye, so do I,” Jon said as he closed his eyes and remembered his wonderful father.

* * *

  


**A Maester’s report**

  
  


**King Aegon Targaryen - ‘The Dragonwolf King’ - Aged 33 -** Nearly 300 years after Aegon and his sister wives brought Westeros to heel, he and his wife Queen Daenerys restored the Targaryen Dynasty and help usher in a new empire that stretched beyond the Narrow Sea. He is perhaps most famous for being the one that slayed the Night King, and bringing forth the Dawn. He rides the legendary dragon Vedros and he has a direwolf companion, the ever silent Ghost.

 

 **Queen Daenerys Targaryen - ‘The Mother of Dragons’ - Aged 32 -** Husband to King Aegon and mother to their 5 children. Queen Daenerys has many influences but perhaps her most well known was her ability to shatter traditional gender roles. Not only is she a loving and caring mother, but she is a dragonrider who rides the wild and fierce Anogar, the largest of the three legendary dragons, The Black Dread come again. Queen Daenerys has also been a significant driving factor in reforms to the education system in Westeros, under her rule, schools for children have been built all over

 

 **Prince Daeron Targaryen - Aged 13 -** Firstborn son of King Aegon and Queen Daenerys. Born in the city of Volantis, before the second conquest of Westeros began. Prince Daeron seems to be a quiet young man, but this is not to be mistaken for lack of ability. The young Prince has shown an ability and aptitude for anything he has put his mind to, whether that is riding, jousting, fighting or his reading or his harp. Prince Daeron may not be a master of any of these individual tasks, but he is highly skilled in them all. Westeros will have a good King in the future

 

 **Princess Lyanna Targaryen - Aged 11 -** First born daughter of King Aegon and Queen Daenerys, born in Winterfell on the night of the wedding between Lord Robb Stark and the Lady Margaery Tyrell. Princess Lyanna may be young, but she has already displayed a talent at riding that is well beyond her years. She is good with her numbers, but she has shown little interest to sow and knit.

 

 **Princess Alysanne Targaryen - Aged 5 -** Second born daughter of King Aegon and Queen Daenerys, born in Kings Landing along with her twin brother. With her platinum hair and purple eyes, Princess Alysanne possesses the traditional Valyrian look. Although she is only young, Princess Alysanne loves to sing, and it is something she is encouraged to do.

  


**Prince Aemon Targaryen - Aged 5 -** Second born son of King Aegon and Queen Daenerys. He and his sister remain the only two children to be born in Kings Landing. Prince Aemon was named after the wizened Maester of the Night’s watch and venerable great uncle of the royal couple, who perished when the Wall collapsed during the second Long Night. Even though he is young, Prince Aemon has shown an interest in animals 

 

 **Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen - Aged 2 -** Third born son of King Aegon and Queen Daenerys. Born on the island of Dragonstone in the middle of a rare summer storm. Like his siblings, he too developed the ability to walk and talk much earlier than the maesters expected. He is a sweet little boy and is always found smiling and laughing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the special POV was none other than Prince Daeron Targaryen, the Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy Season 8. Bran (and Tyrion) are the characters that I think will surprise us the most. 
> 
> Love
> 
> Sleepy <3


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